The Fifth Race
by Phantom1s
Summary: This is my first SG-1 Fan Fiction. This is what I feel should have happened after Lost City. This is a divergence, not complete AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"George, I have something else in mind for you…" President Hayes said.

Two Hours Later

Major General George Hammond is sitting in the command chair of the Prometheus, the first Space Bound Earth Destroyer. Their mission is to support SG-1 at all cost. Shortly before their launch from Area 51, Dr. Weir at the SGC contacted Prometheus and informed Hammond that SG-1 was on their way to Antarctica where they believed the Lost City of Atlantis laid, buried beneath the ice.

"Sergeant, set course to the coordinates of SG-1" The General ordered Walter, who has been with the General since he was first given command of Stargate Command.

"Yes sir. Course laid in, ETA 28 minutes."

One of the other bridge officers piped up, "Sir. We are detecting a Goa'uld Al'kesh entering the atmosphere. Sir, it is transmitting the IDC for SG-1."

"Hail them." Hammond orders.

Hammond POV

I wait patiently as the Lieutenant patches thru a signal. I take a moment to appreciate what I am actually doing. At 61 years old, I am a Major General in the United States Air Force serving as Advisor to my Commander and Chief, the President of the United States, in all extraterrestrial matters. This of course is after I have served as the Commanding Officer of Stargate Command, the spearhead for this planet's exploration of this galaxy and for the defense of this planet. I am now commanding the prototype Space Bound Earth Destroyer in an attempt to stop the single biggest threat Earth has ever seen.

"Sir, I have Major Carter." My lieutenant says.

"Thank you. Major Carter, this is General Hammond onboard the Prometheus. We are en route to give your team a hand. How is Colonel O'Neill?"

"Sir, Colonel O'Neill is no longer talking English, he is speaking Ancient only. He modified the engines to get us here this fast. Daniel believes that Colonel O'Neill now knows exactly where the Ancient City is. We also have in our possession some sort of Ancient Power Device that I believe is what we need to power the weapons of Atlantis. The Colonel found it while we were at Proclarush Taonas."

"Very well Colonel. We will be over Antarctica in 11 minutes—"

"Sir. We have detected Death Gliders from Anubis' Motherships!" Walter said.

"Major, I have to go. God speed to you and your team." I close the channel before turning back to Walter. "Launch all fighters. All weapons, fire at will at all hostiles."

The battle was over. Whatever Jack launched destroyed not only the motherships, but also all of the Death Gliders. As soon as I could, I contacted the White House and then planned to beam down to Atlantis after I got a report of the condition of my ship. I knew she was ok because she was still in the air.

However I was concerned with SG-1. Shortly after Anubis was destroyed, Teal'c radioed up and said that Jack was very ill and that Sam wasn't much better.

I pull out of my thoughts as Major Longo moves into my line of sight.

"Major Longo, status report." I order.

"Sir, primary systems are operating at 40%, Hyperdrive is offline as well as primary weapons. Secondary systems are running at 35%. We have structural damage to all decks with sections of deck two open to outside atmosphere. Portside fighter bay took heavy damage, starboard side is operating, but it is a tight fit for all the remaining fighters. Sir."

"What is the status of our birds, Major?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"Sir, we lost twelve fighters but I am happy to report that we have no fatalities from either the pilots or anyone on board Prometheus. Most of the causalities reported are some burns and broken bones. Captain Mitchell is the worse of all the casualties with two broken legs, four broken ribs and a severe concussion. He has already been transported stateside to the Academy Hospital for treatment via one of the F-305 transports."

I let out a breath I didn't even realize I had been holding. "That is the best news I've heard all day Major. What is the condition of the ice shelf below us?"

"The top layer of ice is relatively thin and cannot support the weight of the Prometheus sir. I would recommend landing approx three kilometers south of this location so that we can begin damage control and start repairing the ship. There are no satellites covering Antarctica and the nearest outpost is 500 miles away, we are all alone out here sir."

"Thank you Major. I want to ring down to Atlantis immediately and debrief SG-1. Once I am down, land Prometheus and begin damage control and repairs. Contact the SGC and request whatever you think you are going to need. Also inform Dr. Weir that I will be debriefing SG-1. If anyone needs me, send a runner."

"Understood sir; I will have a crew set up a temporary elevator shaft from the surface and pull out a few of the Segways for patrol duty and messenger duty."

I give the Major a salute and then leave the bridge to prepare to ring down. I finally decided to take a few scientists when I ring down to Atlantis because I am unsure what the condition of the lost city will be.

The first thing I notice is that it is not cold. In fact it is rather warm and humid in here. It isn't a cave like I thought it would be. It appears to be some sort of structure with an open section where the rings came thru. I see what I assume is the central control center where a throne like chair sits empty. I have no idea why, but I know this is where Jack controlled the weapon. I look towards the far side of the chamber and spot Dr. Jackson looking over something on a computer terminal of some sort. Seeing that he hasn't even acknowledged that we have arrived, we begin to walk towards him when I hear one of the few things on this planet that tears at my heart, Samantha Carter, crying her heart out.

At the sound of Sam's cries, Daniel looks up and sees me and the two scientists I have brought up with me.

"General Hammond sir" Daniel says to me as he crosses over to where I am standing.

"What in hell is going on Dr. Jackson?" I ask.

"Sir, first I believe that this not the Lost City of Atlantis. From what I have learned, this…outpost was left to defend Earth after the Ancients left Earth with Atlantis. It will take some more time to go through everything sir."

"Very well. What is the condition of Colonel O'Neill?" I ask, hearing Sam's cries of anguish again.

"I am not sure sir. After Jack did whatever he did, he said 'Dormata', which is Ancient for 'Sleep' and tried to move towards one of the side chambers. Teal'c carried him in there and that is all I know. Teal'c came out a few minutes later and told me that Jack wanted to be placed in some sort of pod and that Sam…that Sam was…looking over him."

"Thank you Daniel." For the first time ever, I speak his first name. I then turn to my two scientists, "You two, work with Dr. Jackson here. I need not remind you that anything you hear while down here will remain here, understood?"

The nodded and went to work with Daniel as I turned and moved towards where I think Sam is. As I approach the archway to another chamber, I come face-to-face with Teal'c, a silent sentinel guarding his friends.

"General Hammond." He greets me.

"Teal'c. What in the hell is going on? Where are Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?" I ask.

"As I am sure Daniel Jackson has told you, after Colonel O'Neill used the ancient weapon, he was physically exhausted. Add to this his mental suffering because of the Ancient Repository being downloaded into his brain. I believe that if he wasn't such a strong warrior, he would have died from exhaustion. He motioned that he wanted to be brought here and placed into the unit he is now residing in.

"Shortly after placing him into the pod, the pod activated and placed Colonel O'Neill in what I believe is suspended animation. After making sure that there was no danger within the chamber, I left Major Carter with Colonel O'Neill. I believe that Major Carter has been mourning Colonel O'Neill since we placed him into the stasis chamber. She believes that she will never see him again and tell him that she cares for deeply. She also believes that she has failed him by not being able to help him."

I am taken back by this. I know that this group is close. Closer than any other SG-team, but this is something else altogether. From the sounds of this, Major Samantha Carter, Astrophysicist, Second in Command of SG-1 and Fourth Command of Stargate Command is in love with her Commanding Officer. For some reason, I smile at these series of thoughts because I know that Sam and Jack deserve to be happy and that they are made for each other. Jacob and I have spoken about this fact many times.

"General Hammond. May I, as Colonel O'Neill puts it, 'cut the crap' and speak to you honestly, from one warrior to another?"

"Of course Teal'c, permission granted, but only if you call me George." I say.

"Thank you George Hammond. Though we have never fought side by side in actual battle, I understand too well that every army needs its leaders and you are our leader. Because of that, I respect you and your decisions not only as our leader, but also as my friend."

"Thank you Teal'c. I am honored that you consider me a friend. What is on your mind, son?" I ask. Though I have not worked as closely with the Jaffa as others, I have picked up his moods over the years.

"I understand that the Tau'ri have rules about relationships. However, I believe that Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter should be allowed to openly express what they feel for each other. In all my time working with them, they have never once been anything but professional with each other while off world or within the SGC. Though when Colonel O'Neill demands one of our team nights and other occasions where we are 'Off-Duty', I see that O'Neill and Major Carter longing for each other. Much the same way I mourn for my mate after she died. I do not believe it is fair for them to mourn for each other while they are both healthy and strong."

"Teal'c, are you telling me that they have fallen in love with each other and they haven't done anything about it?"

"That is correct George Hammond. Both have come to me privately and informed me that they care for each other more than their ranks and positions allow them too. On more than one occasion they have spoken about 'leaving it all in the room'.

"I believe that they are speaking about their revelations after the Zat'arc incident. I have known since then that there was some going on with them." Teal'c gave me one of his patented glares, which I admit does get to me.

"I do not know what they are speaking of, but I do know that it weighs heavily on them both. Colonel O'Neill has begun to speak about 'retirement'. He said all he needs is his fishing pole, his cabin, and Major Carter by his side. He has fought long enough and he has said 'If these people want their asses saved, they can give me a reason to do it.'

"I do not believe that it would be in the best interest of the Tau'ri for Colonel O'Neill to leave the SGC. He is a born leader and a warrior who instills confidence in others while on the battlefield."

"I see." Hammond said, thinking about the SGC without Jack O'Neill.

"Major Carter and I spoke very recently about her taking a different position at the SGC, one where she would not report to Colonel O'Neill. I do not believe this is in the best interest of SG-1 because we are a team. A family really; when we lost Daniel Jackson, it almost broke all of us. I found Colonel O'Neill on more than occasion holding his weapon to his head. Major Carter buried herself in her work, and I—I too had a very time."

For the first time, I get a tiny inside look at the lives of the SGC's flagship team. The level of trust and respect is something that I have not seen in my over forty years in the Air Force.

"Relax Teal'c, I will do everything in my power to give both of them the chance to be happy together, I think they deserve it. But first, I need to see my goddaughter."

"Thank you George Hammond. And I know that Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill will thank you once we can free him from his frozen tomb."

With his traditional bow, Teal'c moved to allow me access to the chamber where Sam is crying over Jack's body. Once I pass, Teal'c returns to his previous position and resumes his silent vigil.

As I enter the chamber I see a number of strange pods. Each one is empty and turned off. The one that is working is in the middle of the room which Sammie is draped over. Good I haven't called her Sammie since she was teenager and got drunk on my 50 year old bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. I still haven't forgiven her that, though I did get a two new bottles anonymously for Christmas my second year in command of the SGC and one each year since.

Sammie is crying, which is something that truly upsets me, and it looks like she is not going to stop anytime soon. I step behind her and look into the pod.

Jack looks like he is frozen in time. There are small ice crystals on his nose, eyebrows, and eyelashes. His eyes are closed and if I didn't know any better I would say he is asleep.

"Sammie?" I say, trying to make sure that I don't startle her.

She jumps to her feet and looks me straight in the eye before she falls to pieces. Doing something I haven't done since she was little, I wrap my arms around her and let her cry her heart out.

These are tears of anguish, longing, and of love. It is then I realize that Teal'c was correct, Sammie loves Jack and it is slowly killing her, literally. She is pale and gaunt. Her eyes are red and she looks so weak.

"I love him Uncle George. I love him with my whole heart and I can't lose him. I haven't told him that I love him." Sniff "He told me that that he loved me. Right after the Zat'arc incident and that the ball was in my court. I told him we that needed to lock it all up in the room and leave it." Sam began to cry again, this time harder than before.

"There, there, Sammie. Uncle George is here. Everything is going to be alright." I coo, trying to get her to calm down.

"You promise?" She asks me, while still crying.

"I promise Samantha Grace Carter; even if I have to take Prometheus to the Asgard Galaxy myself."

She laughs a little, but then begins to cry again. I wrap her up in my arms and let her cry her heart out. Sometime during one of Sam's crying fits, Teal'c brought in a rather nice looking chair that I sat in, placing Sam on my lap, just like when her and my girls were little. I gave Teal'c a nod of thanks and he left to return to guard position.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Hours later, Sam is asleep and my legs are not responding because they are asleep too. I have been thinking and have come to only one conclusion, they need each other. And I plan on helping them, but first I need answers, which I cannot get while sitting here.

With Teal'c's help, I placed Sammie onto a cot next to Jack's pod. After placing a sleeping bag over her, I leave the chamber. As I leave the chamber, I notice that there are more people here than there was earlier. I realize that many of them are the scientists from the Prometheus and that they probably were in the way on board. Major Longo scored another point in my book.

"Teal'c, I would like to speak to you and Dr. Jackson, but I would rather not leave Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill unguarded."

"Fear not General Hammond. Six SF soldiers will be taking my place once I leave my place." He waved his hand and the six SF soldiers appear out of nowhere.

"Gentlemen, whatever you hear from this chamber will not be spoken about. EVER. Do you have any questions?" I ask.

"No Sir." They respond.

"The only people allowed to enter are I, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Frasier, and General Carter. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." They responded and took their places.

As Teal'c and I moved away from them, one of them spoke up. "Sir, is Colonel O'Neill going to die?"

Teal'c and I turn around and stare at the young officer. "Not if I can help it soldier."

"Good sir. Because I want to shake his hand and thank him for what he does for the rest of us." The soldier smiles then snaps to attention and gives me crisp salute, which I return while Teal'c nods. With that we head off to find Dr. Jackson.

"General Hammond, this is not Atlantis." Dr. Jackson says.

"You said that once already Daniel. What I want to know is what this place is." I say.

"From what we have been able to discover, this was a satellite outpost left to defend earth after Atlantis left. This outpost also was home to the second gate. So far we have determined that the ice shifted about 10,000 years ago and caused the gate to slip into the cavern we discovered it in."

"What about the lost city of Atlantis Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

"Well according to some of the computer files we were able to retrieve, the Ancients took Atlantis and headed off to the heavens; I am fairly certain that the lost city of Atlantis is really a city ship which left Earth thousands of years ago."

"And you believe that they left this…outpost here in order to protect Earth." I ask.

"Yes sir. Also the Antarctic gate is the original gate for this planet. The gate we found in Giza was brought here by Ra when he came here. We had just finished the carbon dating of the gates a few months ago and I remember Sam telling me about it."

"_General Hammond, this is Prometheus."_

I reach for Teal'c's radio and respond. "Prometheus this is Hammond."

"_Sir, our limited sensors have detected another ship entering our atmosphere and heading for your exact location, ETA is 4 minutes."_

"Can you identify it Major?"

"_Sir…it's the Asgard. It is Thor; he is sending an Asgard IDC."_

"Thank god. Send a message to the SGC. Inform them that Thor has arrived."

"_Understood sir."_

Before I can say anything else, Thor appeared in front of us.

"Greetings General Hammond, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c of the Free Jaffa; I am sorry for interrupting your discovery, but I must see Colonel O'Neill, this second download can possibly kill him if I do not hurry." The alien said.

"Of course Thor, this way" I led the little alien into the chamber where Sam and Jack were. Sam was still deep asleep on her cot.

"Is Major Carter injured?" Thor asked.

"Major Carter is suffering from a broken heart Thor."

"I am unfamiliar with 'Broken Heart' disease General Hammond."

I laughed, "It is not an actual disease Thor. It is an emotional response. Samantha loves Jack Thor. The only thing that will help her is for Jack to get well and for the President to bend some rules."

"Now I understand. If it helps General, O'Neill…loves Major Carter too. He has said so to me many times, but said that your government's rules do not allow it. I would suggest you find a way change that." The alien examined the pod for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "General, under the circumstances I believe that both Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter would be better treated on board my ship."

"Do what you can Thor."

"If you need to contact me, use this. I have landed my ship next to the Prometheus and have extended my cloaking shields ten kilometers over the surface of the ice to prevent anyone from detecting us." Thor handed me a communication stone before he was gone along with two of my best officers.

"TEAL'C!" I shout.

A moment later Teal'c and all six of the SFs enter the chamber; Teal'c looks around and sees that Jack, Sam, and Thor are gone.

"Thor took them to his ship Teal'c. There is nothing to worry about." I say.

"Very well General Hammond. What did you want to see me about?"

"Teal'c, I would like you and Bra'tac to take the cargo ship you came here in and take it Area-51. I would like Master Bra'tac to return to the SGC and brief Dr. Weir and the others. Also, I need Bra'tac to contact Jacob Carter and get him here ASAP. Once that is done, I want you to come back in one of the F-302s and take charge of this outpost until further notice. Also I want you to make sure that Dr. Jackson doesn't do anything stupid."

"Understood General Hammond, I shall return as soon as possible." With a bow, Teal'c turned to leave.

I then turned to Captain Taylor, who is now the senior officer besides me at this outpost. "Captain Taylor, I am leaving you in charge of this outpost until Teal'c's return. I am going to take Prometheus back to Nellis Air Force Base for repairs. I am leaving a contingent of personnel on the surface to continue working on the construction of an air strip and support structures. Once major repairs are complete and supplies restocked, Prometheus will return here to assist in anyway possible."

"What about the Asgard ship, sir? Someone will eventually see it."

"Thor has expanded his cloaking field in a ten kilometer area around us, no one will find you. Dr. Jackson will remain as well as his scientific team. They will be working on the computers and translations. Once he returns, you will be taking orders from Teal'c."

"Teal'c sir?"

"Yes Captain, Teal'c will be in charge of this outpost until further notice. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No sir. It is just that I was under the impression that the IOA did not like Teal'c very much."

"That kind of thinking is above your pay grade Captain. But I will say that the IOA is not very welcomed by the President or me right now. Also, the President trusts Jack O'Neill, and Colonel O'Neill trusts Teal'c with his life. If you have any problems with that, then get your ass back to the SGC and clean out your locker!"

"Status report Walter." I ask as I walk onto the bridge.

"Sir, atmospheric thrusters' ready, sublight engines are at stand by. All hull breaches have been sealed." Walter reported.

"Very well" I opened the internal communication channel for the ship. "This is General Hammond! All hands ready for liftoff."

"Open a channel to Thor's ship."

"Aye, sir. Channel open."

"Thor, this is General Hammond."

"_General Hammond, greetings. Is there some sort of problem?"_ Thor's voice says.

"No problems Thor. Prometheus needs to return to base to restock and make some repairs. I thought you might want to know. Also, Teal'c and Master Bra'tac have taken their Al'kesh to one of our bases and Teal'c will be returning later on in another aircraft." I say.

"Thank you for informing me General Hammond. With your permission, my ship will be remaining here for the foreseeable future so that I can help Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, and also your scientific teams working on the Alterran Outpost. I will adjust my cloaking field to allow Teal'c to return as well as the Prometheus and any other vessel that you deem worthy to enter."

"Thank you Thor, I appreciate it. I will talk to you soon." I then closed the channel and order Prometheus to launch.

Once we were in orbit, my communication officer spoke up. "Sir, I am getting a signal from SGC. They request a video conference."

"Put it on screen 4." I cross the bridge to screen four and am surprised when I see Dr. Elizabeth Weir in a business suit.

"_General Hammond, Master Bra'tac has already been debriefed and is trying to contact the Tok'ra and Jacob Carter as we speak. Teal'c is already en route back to Antarctica in one of the new X-305 Cargo Ships. None of the F-302s were available at the time due to that we are still at DEFCON 2."_

"Thank you Dr. Weir. Did Teal'c happen to load up any supplies?"

"_Yes, the X-305 was already loaded when Teal'c arrived. Also General, the President needs to see you in the Oval Office immediately. He said you can beam into the same spot you left from." _Weir said.

"Thank you Doctor."

"_Anyway word on Colonel O'Neill?"_

"Thor has taken Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter to his ship where he has assured me they will be fine. Thor's ship, The O'Neill II, is on the ice in Antarctica and has requested that he remain for the foreseeable future."

"_That is interesting. Any idea why?" _Weir asked.

"None, but knowing Thor, he'll reveal his plans soon enough." I said.

"_I hope so. I really do want to meet the Asgard one day. Good work General, we'll talk to you soon."_

"Thank you Doctor, Prometheus out." I closed the channel. Taking a breath, I ordered my communication officer to inform the White House that I would be arriving momentarily.

"Major Longo. I am placing you in command of the Prometheus. Return to Nellis, finish repairs, restock on supplies and then load up anything else the Antarctic team might need. Once done, return to the Antarctic Outpost. You will continue to command Prometheus; however the overall mission falls to Dr. Jackson and Teal'c."

"Understood, sir, what about you?"

"I have been ordered to brief the President." I turn to face my communication officer. "Are they ready for me Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent. Major Longo, you have the ship. Walter, once on the ground, return to the SGC and see how damage Kinsey caused by this three month review process."

"Aye sir." Walter mumbles.

"Excellent. Airman, when you are ready. Engage." _I so love Star Trek._ I think as I am beamed down from the Prometheus.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

General Hammond POV

After an exhausting debriefing with the President and his senior advisors, many of whom I really wish I could hog tie and have tossed into the forming vortex of the stargate, I learned a great many things. Kinsey has been forced to resign, and the CIA has plans for him to suffer a tragic accident sometime soon. All of Anubis' ships were destroyed and there was no sign of any rings activity, so we assume that he really is dead this time. Also that the Tok'ra, Free Jaffa, and Asgard are still within our solar system engaged in of treaty talks; the Asgard serving as the neutral party and are giving the President regular updates. Jacob Carter and Bra'tac both were called away from the SGC when the news came in. The fleets are currently on the far side of Saturn, out of view of any amateur astronomers.

Now with Henry's piranhas leaving, I finally feel like I can relax a little. I can't relax all the way because Jack and Sam are still being treated by Thor. And I have a feeling that there is something else going on as well, but I have no way of proving it. When I told Thor that Sam was suffering from a broken heart, he immediately wanted to take Sam with him and Jack.

"George is there anything else I need to be made aware of?" President Hayes asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"No sir Mr. President." I respond. Henry knows there is something else, so he orders the last few stragglers out of the room. He also orders two bottles of beer to be brought in for us. Once we have the beer in hand, he questions me again.

"Alright George, out with it, what in the hell is the matter?"

"Permission to speak freely sir?" I ask him. Even though we have known each other for a very long time, he is still my Commander-in-Chief.

"Of course, why in the hell do you think we are drinking beer by ourselves in my office with no one else around?"

I pause for a moment, organizing my thoughts "Something is wrong with Jack and Sam Henry. If I didn't know any better, I would say that they are somehow connected to one another on an almost spiritual level. Not only does that scare me as their former CO, but as Sam's Godfather and Jack's friend, I am terrified."

Henry finished off his beer and moved to his desk where he pulled out two files. After crossing back to his seat on the couch across from me, he sits down and places the two files down on the coffee table in front of him.

"These are the files of Air Force Colonel Jonathan Patrick O'Neill and Major Samantha Grace Carter. I have reviewed both of them personally. In my opinion, these are two of the toughest soldiers I have ever read or heard about. O'Neill was Special Forces and Black Ops for twelve years, has a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, a second Bachelors of Arts in Astronomy from the University of Minnesota, a Masters Degree in Astronomy, a second Masters in Practical Physics and another one in Psychology. And according to his file, he is working on a double doctorate in Astrophysics and Psychology, and his record under you command is beyond comparing, even with the FUBAR of the suicide mission to Abydos the first time.

"Then we have Dr. Carter graduated top of her class from the Air Force Academy, shattering all of the records, has her doctorate in Astrophysics and Wormhole Theory, served in Desert Storm, and is the quite possibly the smartest person on the planet.

"After reading their complete files, which I have been doing since I sent Dr. Weir to the SGC, I have come to only conclusion George. If they want to date, get married have children, whatever they want, except for taking over the world, they can do it."

I smiled. _Thank you god, whatever, whoever you are._

"And to be honest with you, if they wanted to take over the world, I might just let them because we still owe them. Besides the latest save, Jack and Sam have saved this planet more times then I thought possible. Also, speaking as an old Air Force Officer, I believe that they have shown why the Air Force is the premier branch in the US Military. But on a more human level, I have no desire punish them for falling in love, whether they were saving the world or not."

"Thank you Henry, I really appreciate what you have done."

"Oh, I'm not done yet my old friend, the Joint Chiefs and I have felt that the SGC is need of a small overhaul. That is the real reason why I let Kinsey have his way for a little while; you see George, I needed time to get my ducks in a row and for the Chiefs to make the needed changes to policy in order to do the long needed overhaul that needed to be done."

"I agree that there were changes that I felt should have been made, but a major overhaul? That sounds a little dramatic." I say.

"Relax George, and trust me, you'll love what the Joint Chiefs and I have planned. First off, you, Colonel O'Neill, and Major Carter have been long overdue for promotions. You are to be promoted to Lieutenant General. Along with that, I am appointing you to a new position: Director of Homeworld Security. It is a new office that will oversee everything to do with not only the SGC and Area 51, but also with all off-world matters including our military space fleet, any embassies and other installations we set up off world, and anything else that sounds like it should be handled by you. You are also going to have some oversight of NASA. To top it all off, you are going to be given a seat at the table George, I am making the Director of Homeworld Security one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

"Thank you sir, but I must decline the promotion. When I returned to the SGC after Kinsey and the Trust threatened my family, I promised my family that there would be no more moving, even to Washington D.C." I said with a serious face. I know that the girls would never forgive me if I moved, and too be honest; I'm old and ready to enjoy retirement.

"Who said anything about moving? I want you to run Homeworld Security from Cheyenne Mountain. George, the SGC is front line base and you need to be there. With Anubis gone, we finally have the Goa'uld on the ropes and I intend to make it our goal to see the Goa'uld defeated and the Jaffa freed by the time I leave office. In order to do that, I need you George. I need you to be where you can be my eyes and ears and make decisions quickly if necessary.

"You and I know that nothing really gets done here in Washington D.C. That is why I want you out there. Out there you can do what you do best and then report back to me and the other Joint Chiefs. Also with the instant communication we have been using for years, you should be able to contact me with ease. And if I needed you quickly, you could just use Prometheus or one of the other ships that are under construction. Now if you prefer to be out from under the mountain, your office could be run out of Nellis, Peterson, or Area 51 instead."

"No sir. Cheyenne Mountain will do fine."

"Good, because Colonel Reynolds is already working on your new office" The President said before turning serious once again. "Because of the nature of this office and the subject matter you will be discussing, we have given you two sets of offices, one in the SGC, which will be your working office, and the other one will be in one of the office buildings within Cheyenne Mountain itself. That way you can meet with people who do not have the clearance to enter the SGC but who do have the clearance to enter NORAD."

"Well then, thank you Henry. I accept. What about Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter? You said that they were getting promoted too."

"Jack is going to be promoted to Brigadier General and placed in command of the SGC, replacing you and Elizabeth Weir. Jack is still going to be Commander of SG-1, but he will be sharing that command with Samantha.

"Elizabeth in the mean while is going to be handling the reorganization and rebuilding of the IOA. Needless to say, there is going to be a major shake up there."

"What do you mean 'A major shake up'?"

"Kinsey and the IOA representatives have really done a number with the IOA and how it was run. The IOA representatives were all politicians who had their own agendas. I have known this since I took office and was read in on the program, but I didn't know how bad it was until very recently. Did you know that not a single member of the IOA reported to their government about day-to-day operations? The only reason any of the other leaders knew what was going on was because I called them on a regular basis.

"Anyway, thanks to the treaties we signed to create the IOA, I have the authority to suspend the IOA with the approval of the UN Secretary General and two other leaders of one of the other governments. The British Prime Minister and the Canadian Premier agree with me that the IOA needs an overhaul."

"So Dr. Weir…"

"Elizabeth is leading the negotiations to restructure the IOA and the beginnings of a new United Nations. In the end, she will serve as the chief counsel for the IOA and the lead negotiator in all new treaties for the planet earth. She has my full support and the support of the SGC I would assume."

"Of course Henry; now what do you have planned for Samantha?"

"Well I should explain about what is going to happen with SG-1 first. George, I have no intention of letting anyone break up the flagship team of the SGC. So I have ordered an overhaul of both the military and civilian operations of the base. I am sure that you and the new CO of the SGC will approve.

"The members of SG-1 will make up most of the new command structure for the SGC. Jack and the others will still be able to go on missions, since they are the Flagship Team, but they are all getting older and I would prefer that the flagship team go out only when they are needed. That means no meet and greets or anything else that quite frankly is below them.

"Samantha is going to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given Co-Command of SG-1 with Jack. Sam is also going to become the Head Scientific Research for the SGC. She will also serve as the third-in-command of the SGC after Jack and whoever the CO of SG-2 is. Normally the CO of SG-1 would be the 2IC of the SGC, but I don't want the O'Neill family to run everything, yet. Sam is going to be busy running the Scientific Research Department anyway. I know she loves her 'doohickeys' as Jack calls them."

"What about the rest of SG-1? I assume you already have a plan in place." I asked.

"Dr. Jackson will be in charge of a new department that will handle primarily Archeology, Linguistics, and study of the Ancients, pretty much everything he has been doing, but he will now have complete staff to help him. Eventually, he should be able to delegate many of the lesser issues and concentrate on his major projects, like the Ancient Outpost.

"As for Teal'c, I would like Teal'c to become the SGC's primary drill instructor. One of the things that always surprises me when I read the reports from the SGC is that the off-world members are in excellent physical condition but SG-1 is above and beyond that and it is due to Teal'c's training regiment. I want Teal'c to handle the continual training of all SG-Teams and SGC personnel so that they may all have the best chance to complete their missions. Of course that would also mean that he would help train the new recruits in rules, regulations, and proper procedures."

"Henry, that sounds like a great idea. By doing this, SG-1 will be able to concentrate on the really important tasks and delegate the rest while keeping appraised of whatever else is happening. Who really came up with this idea? Because I know you haven't had enough time to do all this."

Henry laughed, "You're right. Elizabeth Weir, I, and the former occupant of this office laid the groundwork for this. Kinsey found out and wanted it stopped. So once I got that file from you, I thought it was a pretty good idea."

"I think it is too."

"Now all we have to do is have them get better—"

Suddenly a bright white light appeared and then Thor was standing in front of the President and me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The President stopped.

"Greetings Mr. President, it is good to see you again and you as well Lieutenant General Hammond. Please accept the congratulations of the Asgard High Council on your promotion."

"Thank you Thor. What can we do for you today?" The President asked.

"Colonel O'Neill's condition has changed dramatically and I thought it was prudent to inform you immediately." Thor said.

"Of course please sit down. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" the President asks as he hits a button on the table next to him, securing his office totally.

"No thank you. Mr. President. Please understand that not only is Colonel O'Neill important to the Asgard and the Tau'ri, I consider him to be a friend. In fact he is one of the few friends I have." Thor gave what amounted to a rather large sigh before he continued.

"As I have already said, Colonel O'Neill is very important to the Asgard. This is because he is the next evolutionary step of humanity."

"What do you mean Thor?" Hammond asks.

"In many races, evolution takes many thousands of years to see a simple change. Then suddenly a major advancement happens in a small amount of the population. O'Neill is the major advancement in the evolution of the Tau'ri.

"As you have probably already known, O'Neill has a rather advanced neurological system as well as advanced healing powers. This is evident by his advanced fields of study, his ability to heal himself faster than most Tau'ri, and his ability to blend into a crowd if needed."

"Thor, you are saying that Colonel O'Neill is the first of the next evolution of humanity?" Hammond asked.

"I am unsure if he is the first, but I know that he is the first that we, the Asgard, have come into contact with and have studied. Unfortunately due to his evolutionary advancements over similar Tau'ri, O'Neill is undergoing an unknown number of side effects thanks to the Alterran Database being placed in his mind."

"What are these side effects? And why did he not experience similar side effects when he downloaded the first repository." Hammond asked.

"I believe that the first repository of knowledge that O'Neill downloaded was just knowledge. I believe it was designed to give data of the Alterrans. The second download included not only the knowledge of the first download, but also a code that has to begun to make fundamental changes to his body and mind by activating other dormant genes within O'Neill. These genes are very similar to the Ancient Technology Activation Gene, which allows him to operate technology built by the Alterrans."

"Is there anything we can do?" George asked.

"No there is not General Hammond." A fourth voice within the room said. Everyone turned around and saw a woman that George recognized immediately, Oma Desala.

"Mr. President, may I present Oma Desala, one of the Ancients, _I'm sorry Alterrans, _who ascended to the next plane of existence eons ago. Miss Desala, may I present Henry Hayes, President of the United States of America and of course Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet."

"Thor. It is good to see you again after so many years. Mr. President, it is an honor to meet you, and you as well General."

Oma crossed the room and sat down in one of the empty chairs.

"Miss Desala, what brings you here to see us?" The President asked.

"Mr. President, the one you call Jack O'Neill is one of the most advanced human beings alive today. I am sure Thor has explained how evolution can once in a great while take a huge step forward without any help from technology."

"Yes he has."

"Good. You see, before we ascended, thousands of your years ago, we Alterrans knew that we were doomed. There was a plague that was slowly spreading across this galaxy, killing millions of our kind. The way for us to survive was to ascend to a higher plane of existence. As a way of keeping our civilization alive, we decided to seed not only our homeworld, Earth, but many other worlds with small parts of our genetic code. The code was broken down into the simplest pieces and spread far and wide. This way, the younger races, like the Tau'ri could assimilate these pieces of code, but not interfere with your natural development. He had learned long ago that interfering with the natural development of a race can lead to disaster."

"You mean the ATA gene that Jack has is this 'Code?" Hammond asked.

"What you call the ATA gene is part of what we seeded. However there are more pieces: You hear of people with telekinesis abilities, faster than normal healing, and many other things your society consider to be 'super natural'. These are latent abilities that come from our genetic code. Over the Eons, these pieces have been passed down, into the current generation of Tau'ri.

"Colonel O'Neill symbolizes the first of your kind to bring together these abilities in one person. I believe that Daniel Jackson called one of these latent abilities his gut instinct. He knew that something was wrong before knowing, that is a form of telepathy.

"As Thor said, two years ago, the Asgard were able to remove the knowledge from O'Neill's mind without any permanent damage because of his already advanced mind; though no where near advanced enough to hold this amount of data?

"We designed each of our repositories to activate only for someone who carried a specific set of genes. It takes more than just the ATA Gene to activate each one of them, making them the only technology we left behind that cannot be used by anyone with the ATA gene. O'Neill had the correct genes, even though many of these genes were dormant, and was able to access our knowledge.

"After the Asgard helped him, all was well for your Colonel, except that he had developed the ability to heal himself faster than a normal person and I believe that his sense of humor became even stranger. Orlin would be able to answer that question; he has kept a very close eye on your Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter longer than I have.

"I am sorry…I have gotten momentarily distracted…when Colonel O'Neill downloaded the repository the second time, all of his latent abilities began to activate so fast that the changes were happening faster than it was possible for Thor to stop.

"The problem is that your minds are not evolved enough to hold all of the information that is stored in our repositories, even with your minds being enhanced. We thought that by the time that humanity had evolved enough to access the repositories, your mental capabilities would have increased as well. That was one of our larger mistakes in this process. We also did not take into account that your language centers would be over written by our own so that the person would only speak Alterran."

"So what you are saying is that Colonel O'Neill is becoming an Ancient?" Hammond said dumbfounded.

"No, as we have already told you, the Colonel is the next evolutionary step in your people, just like you are the next evolutionary step from us. While you have evolved naturally, our evolution came thru advances in science.

"One of the advancements that your race has over ours is your resilience to many of the plagues and diseases of this galaxy; you also have a natural curiosity that makes you want to explore the universe and find what we and the others have left for you."

Everyone was quiet, letting what they had been told sink in. Finally President Hayes spoke up.

"Thor, were you able to remove the Ancient Database?" Hayes asked.

"I was able to remove 75 percent of the database and transfer it to my ships secondary computer core. The remaining 25 percent was unmovable. I was able to access the information and learned that it contains information on O'Neill's new abilities and general information, and how he acquired them." Thor stated.

"What are his new abilities?"

"O'Neill has the Alterran ability to heal himself quickly. He will also be able to heal others as well. Most simple bruises, cuts and minor injuries can be cured by just his touch. For other more serious injuries, O'Neill will have to use one of the Alterran healing devices. They are similar to the Goa'uld healing devices but do a better job since the Goa'uld stole the technology from Alterran descendants.

"He also has limited telekinesis, telepathy, and the knowledge of all of the different types of Alterran weapons and vehicles." Thor finished.

"Because of the bond your Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter share, we were able to also give her some of the more scientific knowledge including information on our power sources, shields, and stargates." Oma said.

"What kind of bond are you talking about?" Hayes asked.

Oma smiled at the President. "Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are what we call Animus Materia. In your language you would call them soulmates. It was very rare for any Alterrans to be soulmates. In fact the only soulmates I ever knew of were two individuals whom your history calls Merlin and Morgan Le Fey."

"What kind of bond are we talking about here?" Hammond asked.

"The bond of soulmates, commonly referred to as a soul-bond, is the connecting of two souls destined to be together. In some of our oldest histories it was said that souls would relive again and again until they finally found their bondmate.

"According to Merlin and Morgan Le Fey, they were able to speak to each other thru telepathy over great distances and were even able to use their bondmate's senses. I know Merlin did this often when they were invited to my home for dinner. If the smells were not to his liking, Merlin would often make an excuse and not come over.

"They also shared knowledge between the two of them. Whatever one of them learned, they both learned and were able to master as if they had each learned independently. This made their research time much more productive and saved us many times while fighting an enemy we did not understand.

"The soul-bond is also a deeply personal connection. They also share their emotions, hopes, dreams, nightmares, desires, and anything else you can think of. I must also say that this bond can even survive the divides between the different planes of existence. It will take some time to get used too, but I believe that these two individuals will be up to the challenge." Oma finished with a proud look on her face.

Thor picked up the story from Oma as she took a drink of George's discarded beer. "When General Hammond informed me about Major Carter, I knew something had happened and I would be unable to save Colonel O'Neill unless I save Major Carter. So I put them both into stasis and began to research what was wrong with them. Shortly after I began, Orlin came to my ship and explained what had happened and helped me save them."

"How did this bond form?" Hayes asked, as he crossed to a small table where he kept a decanter full of Jack Daniel's Whiskey and also a full bottle of bourbon.

"Orlin is not sure, however we feel that the bond first formed when they met for the first time before Colonel O'Neill returned to Abydos to retrieve Daniel Jackson. The bond began to rapidly grow a year later when they somehow arrived thru the stargate in Antarctica instead of the one you used at the time.

"Then there was what Orlin called the Zat'arc incident. I believe that the Jaffa Teal'c and the one called Janet Frasier bore witness to them admitting their deepest thoughts and desires towards each other. Unfortunately, they decided to…what did Orlin say…? Oh yes he said that they decided to 'Leave it in the Room.' Whatever that means; that incident was followed by Colonel O'Neill being marooned on a planet for three months while Major Carter tired to bring him home. It was because of their developing bond that the Colonel returned and that he did not give into temptation.

"Then recently Major Carter was trapped on your ship, I believe you call it the Prometheus, in the nebula. Her mind created images of her friends and family and she kissed the Colonel, much like the same way the Colonel kissed her during his experience in the time loop.

"Finally the bonded finished forming when Colonel O'Neill told Major Carter that he did in fact love her more than life itself before he let the knowledge from the repository takes over his mind and body." Oma finished.

"That would make sense because Major Carter looked very distraught when I saw her in the chamber." Hammond said.

"Yes. I now believe that Major Carter had been able to communicate with Colonel O'Neill throughout their mission and when he went into stasis, Major Carter felt very alone and…frightened." Thor explained.

"Miss Desala. According to the reports I have received from Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, and other people who have contacted by ascended beings, you normally do not interfere in our lives. In fact I believe that it is rule. One that Dr. Jackson broke many times and was descended because of." Hayes said.

"You are correct Mr. President. And please do not worry about the amount of time we are spending in here. Thor established a time dilation field around this room. For every hour we are in here, only one minute goes by outside."

"Thank you Thor." The alien nodded his head.

"As I said, you are correct Mr. President. Normally we do not interfere with the lower planes. This is because the lower planes must learn to do things on their own. However, we believe that your race has reached a point in your evolution where you might remain, if you are not pushed. So, we have decided to give you that push.

"With the defeat of Anubis, we, the ascended Alterrans, have decided that the time has come for to ask the Asgard to complete the terms of the treaty we made long ago."

Oma turned to the Asgard who was sitting in one of the armchairs and spoke in a clear official voice. "Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet, member of the Asgard Council and Protector of many worlds; I, Oma Desala, of the Alterran Council of Elders, due hereby call for the fulfillment of the treaty made by the Four Races of the Milky Way Galaxy."

"On behalf of the Asgard, we will comply with the treaty of the Four Races." Thor said.

Oma turned back to the President and General Hammond "Shortly before the majority of us ascended, we called for a final meeting of the Council of Four. We asked that other member races protect and watch over our children, who would eventually evolve into what we called the 'Fifth Race.'

"Beyond that, we also asked the council to guide our children but not to directly interfere with their development until they were ready."

"Now that O'Neill and Major Carter have reached this level, and with Oma Desala asking, we Asgard will share all we know with you. This includes our offensive and defensive weapons, medical technology, and our culture."

"What is the catch Thor?" Hayes asked.

At the blank look from the alien's face Hammond explained. "What is in it for you Thor? What does the Asgard get out of this arrangement?"

"I understand now General Hammond. The Asgard fulfilled a promise made to one of our oldest allies and friends in the Alterrans, and we also help the Tau'ri become what they are destined to do: Become leaders of the galaxy and defenders of those who cannot fight for themselves.

"Also, we have long believed that the Tau'ri hold the key to our survival." Thor finished.

"What do you mean?" Hayes asked.

"We Asgard do not procreate the way you do. We are all clones. Our consciousness is transferred from one dying body to a computer and into a new body. Our problem is that we have cloned ourselves so often that are now experiencing genetic errors. We feel that within in the next 20 earth years, we will be no more.

"We hope that we can find the cure to this disease with your help one day."

"Oh course Thor. Whatever you need, just ask."

"Thank you Mr. President. Now I must return to Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. They will awaken soon and I must explain a great deal of information to them." Thor said as he stood from his seat.

"I must return soon as well. I was only given a small window of time to do what I needed to do. Mr. President, everything the Alterrans have ever known is now in your hands. From Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, or the computer core that Thor will give you. I ask you to please remember that you, the Tau'ri, are leaders in this galaxy. Be fair to the other races and help those who are in need. Explore your universe and learn. That is how you honor us."

Oma rose to her feet and bowed to the humans and Asgard before turning into a white orb. Before it disappeared, it sent out a single white lightning bolt which disappeared thru the wall.

"I have returned something to Daniel Jackson that should never have been taken in the first place. He will be a great asset to you and your people. Until we meet again." And with that the white light was gone.

President Hayes stared at where Oma disappeared for a few minutes before turning back to Thor and Hammond. "Gentlemen, I believe we all have work to do. Thor, if you could get Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter up and running I would appreciate it. George, why don't you return to the SGC and take command there for a while."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Surface above Alterran Outpost-198 Miles ENE of South Pole

Major Longo was standing on the bridge of the Prometheus, watching as they prepared to land on the ice. The terrain was barren and white extending far off into the distance. There was no blowing snow, just a beautiful blue sky above them and white below him. It had been twenty-nine hours since Prometheus had left the ice continent and the Major was looking forward to being back on the ice again.

With a small thump, Prometheus landed on the ice. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Major Longo activated the intercom system and spoke up. "All personnel, this is Major Longo. Secure stations for prolonged time on the ground. Captain Cole, deploy secondary crews to assist in the construction of the runway. Captain Frost, please report to the bridge."

As the bridge crew was securing their stations, Major Longo opened a short range channel to the outpost. "Ancient Outpost, this is Prometheus, do you copy?"

"This is the Alterran Outpost. We read you 5 by 5."

"Is Teal'c available?" Longo asked.

The voice changed and another person was speaking. _"This is Teal'c."_

"Teal'c, this is Major Longo. Prometheus has landed and we are off loading equipment."

"Very well Major Longo. Please report to me in thirty minutes for a briefing. When are Doctor Frasier and her medical team arriving?"

"Her F-305 took off from Area 51 three hours ago. Her current ETA is just over an hour."

"Thank you Major Longo. Please alert The O'Neill II about her impending arrival and I will see you in thirty minutes."

Captain Frost walked onto the bridge as Major Longo closed the channel. "Captain, the ship is yours. Have your crews deploy the ring platform. I'll be departing in a few minutes."

"Aye sir."

The rings dropped, revealing Major Longo to the main part of the outpost. As he looked around, he spotted Teal'c and crossed the chamber to him.

"Major Longo, welcome to the Alterran Outpost." Teal'c said, with a small bow of his head.

"Alterran?"

"It is the proper name of the Ancients. Daniel Jackson discovered the name while looking thru the computer files here."

"Oh. Well, should we debrief?"

"Indeed." Teal'c turned around and walked to wards a hallway, Major Longo followed in his wake.

"Sir, shouldn't Dr. Jackson be in this meeting with us?" Longo asked.

"Daniel Jackson is already waiting for us in the room I have procured for my usage."

"How did you get Jackson to sit still long enough?" Teal'c simply smiled and walked thru a doorway that just opened.

When Major Longo entered, he saw Daniel Jackson bond and gagged in a chair. "Teal'c, I take back every mean, insulting, and rude thing I have said about you behind your back. This is too much fun!" Major Longo then let him self go and began to laugh, deep belly laughs that made his sides hurt.

Ten minutes later, the Air Force Major had calmed himself down enough to climb into one of the chairs and try to regain his breath. Teal'c, who had remained cool and collected, like always, merely looked upon the Major from his seat at the head of the table.

"Are you well Major Longo?"

"Yes sir. I am fine. It is just the sight of Dr. Jackson hog tied. Colonel O'Neill spoke many times about him wanting to do that himself." Major Longo said, still chuckling.

"Very well" Teal'c said before turning to Daniel. "Daniel Jackson, you did not stop your work when I asked you to. You forced me to use drastic matters so that we can have this meeting. Now if you can behave, I shall release you from your restraints."

Daniel sighed then nodded his consent. Teal's stood then removed the bindings and the gag before retaking his seat.

"Major Longo, what is the status of the surface and of Prometheus?"

"Prometheus herself is operating at 87 percent. All structural damage has been repaired and we are working on getting all the other systems up and running as soon as possible. As for the surface, the runway is complete, with landing lights, and we are building structures for equipment, barracks, and some of the smaller aircraft like the F-302s and the F-305s. I have three man security teams doing perimeter checks along the cloaking field on Segways and we have also installed a new ring platform, courtesy of Master Bra'tac. Master Bra'tac said something about repaying a debt. I am not sure; he had been drinking Mountain Dew and was a little hyper."

"Daniel Jackson, what do you have to report?"

"Well, we have discovered that this outpost was indeed left as a last defense of earth after Atlantis left. According to the limited information we have found, Atlantis was a city ship, roughly the size of Manhattan island if my conversions, and was capable of hyperspace travel. Unfortunately, the information we have so far does not say where Atlantis went or why. We have also learned that the power source Jack had us bring back here is called a Zero Point Module or ZPM for short. It is the main power source for all Alterran technology, including Atlantis."

Major Longo's radioed came to life before anyone else could speak again. _"Major Longo, this is Prometheus, come in."_

"Excuse me gentlemen." He then turned his attention to his radio. "Longo here. Go ahead."

"Sir, the F-305 carrying Doctor Frasier has just arrived."

"Excellent, please have the good doctor report to Teal'c in the Alterran outpost."

"Understood sir. Prometheus out."

Major Longo turned his attention back to the meeting he was in. "My apologies gentlemen."

"No apology was needed Major Longo. I find you to be a very capable warrior."

"Thank you Teal'c, that means a lot to me coming from you."

"It is no trouble Major Longo." Teal'c turned back to Daniel and spoke, "Daniel Jackson. Is there anything else you have to report?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes. Besides the defensive aspect of the outpost, this outpost also served as an arriving and departing terminal for the Beta Gate that we found six miles away from here."

"How big is this complex then Dr. Jackson?" Major Longo asked.

"The complex does not extend that far. The Beta Gate and its DHD were on the far side of the complex from here, about five and a half miles away from their final resting place. About 5000 years ago, there was a shifting in the ice and that entire part of the complex broke away. According to the logs we have been able to access, the main ZPM modules that power the complex failed shortly before that."

"I see. That would also explain why Ra never discovered this gate and brought the one that was discovered in Egypt."

"That is correct Teal'c. The BETA Gate is the oldest stargate ever built, to our know knowledge. After the landmass began to move to the South Pole, the Alterrans abandoned the outpost. Why they did it, I am—"

As Daniel was speaking, he was surrounded in a bright white light. The light entered his body and then he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Immediately Teal'c and Major Longo were by his side checking him out.

"He has a very erratic pulse Major Longo." Teal'c said.

"This is Major Longo in Teal'c's office. I need a medical team STAT!! Doctor Jackson is unconscious!"

Doctor Janet Frasier was in a good mood. Though she was worried about her friend Samantha Carter, she was going to see her boyfriend Doctor Daniel Jackson for the first time in almost a month. Between her recovery from the staff blast she received and Daniel's duties on SG-1 and as the head of his department, it had been very difficult to find cuddling time.

As Janet exited the cargo hold of the F-305 she had ridden to Antarctica, she thought about how Daniel and she had finally gotten together.

Daniel had asked Janet out to dinner a few weeks before the mission to P3X-666. The dinner was a success and the slowly began to explore their new relationship. Many nights, Daniel wound up sleeping on Janet's couch.

Then the mission from hell happened. Janet to this day could not remember what happened from the moment she was hit until the moment she woke up in the infirmary.

Daniel had carried Janet back thru the stargate to the SGC. She had been hit by a staff blast while treating a fallen solider. The solider had survived, but it was very touch and go for Janet. Daniel had never left her side the entire time. She had been in a coma for 8 days, beating SG-1's record before finally waking up.

The only time Daniel left was when Teal'c and Jack O'Neill physically carried him out of the infirmary to get something to eat and to shower. Daniel slept in a recliner that General Hammond finally had moved in since Daniel refused leave Janet's size.

During the day, Daniel would work from a small portable desk and explain everything that he was doing to the unconscious doctor. Cassie would come by after school with Sam and spend a few hours on base before going home to either Sam or Jack's house.

It was early on the ninth day that Janet woke up. The first thing she saw was Daniel, asleep in his recliner holding her hand.

"Daniel" Janet said her voice was hoarse.

"Janet, you're awake! How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Should I get Dr. Lam or something? What should I do?"

"Water."

"Water? Oh, of course you want water. Stay right there, I'll be right back." Daniel jumped to his feet and left to find water. He returned a second later leaned over Janet and kissed her on her lips, "I love you Janet Mary Frasier."

"I love you too Daniel Michael Jackson. Now go and get me my water."

Janet's recovery had been slow and tiresome. Many times she wanted to give up, but Daniel kept pushing her on further and further, even threatening to take Cassie away from her if she didn't shape up. It was while making this threat that Janet saw the anguish in Daniel's eyes. She knew it was killing him just as much if not more than it was killing her. She decided then and there to do whatever she could do to never disappoint Daniel.

After she received the clearance to return to work on light duty, Janet officially asked Daniel to move into her house. Though Daniel still had the guest room, he spent most of his nights in Janet's bed holding her thru her nightmares.

The one thing that neither of them had wanted was to ruin this relationship with sex, so the abstained from it for months. The drawback was that the sexual tension that permeated the house was so thick that it was driving Cassie up the wall.

Finally one day Cassie had enough and when Daniel picked her up from school, she called him on it.

"Daniel, why don't you and mom have sex?"

Daniel's reaction almost caused them to wreck the car. "How do you know we haven't…that we haven't…you know…had…sex?"

Cassie rolled her eyes, it seemed like all teenagers, whether they are from earth or another planet all react the same. "Daniel, you may be smart, but Jack is right, you are an idiot sometimes. The sexual tension is so thick around the house I want to lock you two in a room with a box of condoms and some whipped cream.

"I mean come on, you love her, she loves you, she is medically cleared, so why not?"

"Well it is because—"

"Please say it isn't because I am home. Alright, that's it. Drop me off at Sam's. I'll stay the night, you can sleep with my mother, as long as I don't hear any details, and you treat her right."

That night they made love for the first time and it was by far the best she ever had. Daniel was a passionate lover and brought Janet to climax multiple times. Though she was never what you would call a screamer, she did make enough noise to wake the neighbors, twice.

Janet was pulled from her thoughts by the voice over her radio.

"This is Major Longo in Teal'c's office. I need a medical team STAT!! Doctor Jackson is unconscious!"

_Oh god Daniel. What did you do now?_ "Major Longo, this is Doctor Frasier. I have just ringed in and am on my way; Medical Team Alpha, report to Teal'c's office."

"Dr. Frasier, when you exit the rings, head straight to the other side of the chamber, I will meet you there and guide you in."

"Understood; can you tell me what happened?" Frasier asked as she ran across the chamber, meeting with her medical team on the way.

"Dr. Jackson was in a briefing with us when he was suddenly engulfed in a white light." Major Longo said thru his radio as he approached the medics.

"The light was only visible for a fee moments before it entered his chest. The moment it entered his chest, he fell to the floor unconscious." Major Longo said as they entered Teal'c's office.

"I swear to god if Oma is trying to ascend him I'll kill her." Janet muttered under her breath. She caught sight of Daniel and fell into Doctor Mode.

"Teal'c has there been any change?" Janet asked as her medic's began to work on Daniel.

"Daniel Jackson's pulse has remained erratic and his breathing is shallow."

"Ok, let's go ahead and bag him and get in IV in him." Janet ordered.

Just as they began to prep for the IV, another bright flash of light appeared and Oma Desala appeared from the light. Janet looked at the woman with pure hate in her eyes. Oma, who was still beautiful, looked at Janet and nodded at the Doctor.

"I am not here to take Daniel away from you Dr. Frasier. I am here to return to him something that we had wrongfully taken." Oma then placed her hand on Daniel's forehead. The moment her skin made contact with his, Daniel relaxed and his vitals began to stabilize.

Oma closed her eyes and slowly pushed energy into Daniel's head thru her hand. After a moment, Oma turned to Janet and smiled.

"You are a very lucky lady Doctor Frasier. He loves you more than life itself. Take care of him and love him." Oma said.

"I must leave, but I have something for you too." Oma then turned back into pure energy and entered Janet's chest. A moment later the energy left Janet and disappeared. Janet swayed for a moment before she was caught by Teal'c and placed in one of the chairs.

"I'm alright. She just…wow…she gave me knowledge. Teal'c there is an infirmary located two floors up, I would like to take Daniel there for observations."

"Very well Doctor Frasier. I do not understand how you know about this, but I will do as you ask." Teal'c said as he lifted Daniel onto the stretcher.

"Oma Desala gave me knowledge. A lot of it is about ancient medicine and their facilities here." Janet told the Jaffa as they left his office.

Six Hours Later

Janet's POV

This place is incredible. It looks like something straight out of Star Trek. The beds are each hooked to a computer which monitors everything I could ever think of. They in turn are tied into a central computer for the infirmary so that I can actually watch in real time from my office, or anywhere else.

There seems to be some stasis fields in place because all of the medicine and supplies are fresh and better than many of the things I brought with me.

As for Daniel, he is sound asleep. Based on the scans I have performed, his upper brain functions are highly accelerated and that his temperature is still running a little high. I have my palm pilot tied into the system to alert me if something happens with Daniel, so I sent everyone out to check out the other medical facilities and to other duties.

I finally sit down and close my eyes for a few minutes to catch my breath. My mind is filled with information that I should not be able to understand, but I can. I already know how to beat Cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, and a number of other diseases that there are no cures to at this time.

I begin to drift off to sleep when I feel Daniel's gaze upon me. I open my eyes and see Daniel staring back me.

"Hello."

"Hi. How are you feeling, Daniel?" I ask.

"Like I was electrocuted and then had by head stuffed full of knowledge." Daniel answered.

This man has spent way too much time with Jack O'Neill.

"Well that is pretty close to the truth. It looks like Oma Desala decided to give you a small present. She returned all of the memories that they took from you when you descended."

The look on Daniel's face is priceless. He looks like a child who was just told that Christmas was now every day. Then he closed his eyes and I knew he began to categorize his thoughts and memories. I did the same thing and it takes a while to do it. Suddenly Daniel opened his eyes and looked around the room.

"Oh wow. Wait a minute, why are we in the infirmary and how in the hell did you get in here or even find it?"

I smiled. "Well it looks like Oma decided that I should have a gift, for putting up with you and Jack O'Neill, and for loving you. She gave me knowledge about medicine, healing, and the technology regarding my profession. I'll tell you what; it's been a rather interesting time.

I noticed Daniel yawn and begin to drift off to sleep so I decide to go to my new office for a little while but Daniel still has my hand.

"When was the last time your slept Janet?" he asked me.

"A while ago Daniel." I answer, finally feeling the day catch up to me.

"Come here then." Daniel pulls me onto his bed and wraps himself around me. He then reaches up to the computer terminal and I see that he secures the room so that we can have some privacy. Once we are settled, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep while listening to Daniel's heart beat.

One of the things I have learned as the CMO of the SGC is that sleep is a luxury. Case in point: right now I am lying next to Daniel in one of the hospital beds, enjoying the first sleep I think I have gotten in three days when the alarms start going off. I quickly look at my watch and see that I have gotten about thirty minutes of sleep.

"It's the proximity alarm. Someone is coming towards the infirmary." Daniel mumbles, pulling us both us to a sitting position.

He taps the consol and I know the room is no longer secured, a moment later Teal'c enters.

"Daniel Jackson, Doctor Frasier. It is good to see you both are doing well." Teal'c says, bowing his head a little.

"Thank you Teal'c. It seems that Oma decided to have some fun with us and has not only restored my memories about when I was ascended, but also given Janet medical knowledge."

"Indeed." Teal'c says. His trademark one word answer is really beginning to get on my last nerve these days. But it is Teal'c, so I let it pass.

"What can we do for you Teal'c?" I ask a little upset that I have not slept.

"General Hammond has made contract from the SGC. He says that General O'Neill and Lieutenant Colonel Carter should be returned to us by this evening. Thor has been able to stabilize both of them."

Whoa wait. When in the hell did Jack get promoted? And Sam for that matter? Daniel beats me to the punch.

"Teal'c, when in the hell did Jack and Sam get promoted?"

"General Hammond said he would explain everything tonight at a private feast in our honor, as long as we can find a suitable location."

I look at Daniel as he gets a far away look in his eyes for a moment. "There is a large conference room above the chair room. I believe it is still sealed off. In order to access it we'll need to get some power to other systems."

"We have procured four naquada generators Daniel Jackson. We are in deed of your assistance to tie them into the complex."

"Ok. Let's go." Daniel says as he jumps up. He begins to walk to the door and stops. "Teal'c, can you give us a minute?"

"I am very pleased that you have asked Daniel Jackson. If you had not asked, then Doctor Frasier would have become upset and that would make me, upset. I shall wait for you by the throne chair." He turns and bows to me "Doctor Frasier."

I cross over to Daniel and smile at him before he wraps me in his arms and kisses me deeply. "I have got to go to work. But I'll see later ok?" Daniels whispers in my ear.

"Ok. I love you."

"I love you too Janet." Daniel says before he kisses me with so much passion I turn into a pile of mush.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Jack's POV

Something strange is going on here. I am in a bed, naked, with a body lying next to and on top of me. I slowly open my eyes and I see that the entire room is white. I turn my head and I see blonde hair. My erection jerks awake at the thought of whose hair I am looking at.

Deciding to check for sure, I gently try to remove myself from the grips of one Major Carter, only to fail.

"Jack…it's too early. Go back to sleep for a few more hours." I hear some what muffled.

_Yep. It's Sam. Good how many times have I dreamed about this over the years? _Truth be told, I fell in love with this woman the first time I met her. And that love has continued to grow over the years.

"Of course it's me, Jack. By the way, I love you too, since the first time I met you as well. Now, if you know what is good for you, go back to sleep." Sam rumbles.

I am about to do what I was told when a thought hits me like a ton of bricks. _How in the hell did Sam hear my thoughts?_

Christ Jack! For a man with Master's in Military History and a Second Master's in Theoretical Physics, you really are stupid. I hear in my head, but not in my voice.

"I am not stupid Doctor Samantha. And how in the hell do you know about my two Master's?" I ask.

"I…" Sam suddenly jumps up and looks at me with the deer I the headlight look. "I never said anything out loud. Oh my god!"

I get out of bed and wrap my arms around Sam "its ok. We'll find out what is going on, together."

It is at this point that I realize both of us are bear naked. The feeling of Sam pressed up against me is beginning to have an effect on my nether regions and Sam notices.

"Jack is that a cock pressed into my thigh or are you just happy to see me?" She smirks at me and that is all she wrote.

I lean down and kiss her. The kiss starts off innocent enough, but soon becomes very deep and very passionate. Sam is running his hands up and down my back while my hands are beginning to play with her perky breasts. I pinch one of her nipples and she moans into my mouth. Deciding it is time to claim her as my own; I push her back onto the bed and move between her legs.

Once there, I use my fingers to open her wet folds for me and insert my tongue deep inside her. She tastes delicious and I want more and more of her. I push my tongue in deeper, licking all the while. With my other hand, I begin make my way up to her breasts where I continue to pinch and fondle them.

As I continue to nuzzle into her womanhood, I also begin to rub her clit, causing Sam to buck and moan loudly.

"Jack…please…make me cum…let me cum…" I hear Sam panting. Deciding that I need release too, I pull back from her and position my cock above her pussy before I slide it right in. She is tight, there is no argument there, but she also feels like home.

Sara never really felt like home when I was with her, more like…a very nice private resort. Nice to look at, and to play at, but never really home. Sam however, she feels like home and I love it.

Once I am fully inside her, I begin to pull out a little and push back in. This causes Sam to moan again. I fall into a rhythm and soon have Sam back on the edge of her orgasm. I begin to feel my balls tighten and I growl, "I'm almost ready to cum Sam."

"Then cum already Jack. Spill your fucking seed deep inside my wet pussy!"

With an animalistic growl I begin to cum and bit down on her neck causing her yelp and cum as well. As we cum together, I see images flashing before my eyes.

A little blonde girl being carried in from the playground

The same girl a little older winning 1st place for her science fair project

Me goofing off in High School

My graduation day from the Academy

Sam receiving her Doctorate

Mine and Sara's wedding

Sam and a man I know as Jonas, her first fiancé, talking about marriage

The entire day Charlie was killed

Jacob telling me Sam that her mother was dead

My mission briefing for the first Abydos mission

Daniel and Ska'ara finally making me understand that I have something to live for

Sam getting transferred to the SGC

Our first meeting

The Zat'arc testing

Our deciding to live it in the room

Apophis' ship and that dam force field

Sleeping on some planet with Sam curled up next to me in her own sleeping bag

A stasis pod and Sam crying over it

General Hammond learning that Sam loves me

It is only then that I understand everything. She loves me, and I love her. We have loved each other for a long time and I know what I want, even if I have to walk away from everything I know. I want to spend the rest of my life with Samantha Grace Carter.

With that thought, I drift off to sleep, with Sam by my side.

Sam's POV

Ok, so it wasn't a dream. I really did have the best sex ever with Jack. You know, for some reason, I really don't care if it could lead to a court martial. If they really threw a shit-fit, we could just leave Earth. Go leave with one of our Allies, and continue to fight the Goa'uld from there. Whatever happens I know one thing, I am not living another day without Jack.

Ok, so now that-that is out of the way…Where in the hell are we? I sit up, letting Jack sleep and look around for some clothes. I look over to the corner and see two bathrobes appear in a beam of light.

Ok, so we are on an Asgard ship.

"Sam, quit thinking so loud!"

'Sorry Jack. I think we are on an Asgard ship'

"Ok. I am going back to sleep."

Jack's eyes flew open and he jumped off the bed. "Thor! Where in hell are you taking us this time?" Jack screamed into the air at nothing in particular.

As if he was waiting, a hologram of Thor appeared in front of us. Realizing he was naked, Jack began looking around for something to cover himself with. I smirk and toss the other bathrobe over to him.

While Jack is getting settled, I decide to question Thor. "Thor what in the hell is going on?"

"Major Carter, I have been able to stabilize yours and Colonel O'Neill's conditions. However, I was not able to completely remove the knowledge from Colonel O'Neill." Thor explained.

"Why not?" Jack asked as he stood next to me. I take his hand in my own and squeeze it tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Because the Alterran Repository also began to activate long dormant genes from your Alterran ancestors; once I learned this, I removed everything except for the knowledge on how to control your new abilities."

"How did you know what my abilities were going to be?" Jack asked.

"That would be thanks to me." A 4th voice said as a woman appeared from a ball of light. "Jonathan Patrick O'Neill, Samantha Grace Carter. I am Oma Desala."

Well this is the woman who ascended Daniel. I am glad Janet is not here, Janet might try to kill her, even though she did save Daniel's life.

"Janet Frasier was not pleased when I first saw her earlier, but she did not try to cause me harm." Oma said.

"And yes, I can read your thoughts."

Ok, this is getting creepy.

"As you both know, Colonel O'Neill is very important to the Asgard. This is because he is the next evolutionary step of humanity." Thor began.

"In many races, evolution takes many thousands of years to see a simple change. Then suddenly a major advancement happens in a small amount of the population. O'Neill, you are proof of this major advancement in the evolution of the Tau'ri."

"Well, I do aim to please." Jack joked; I elbow him in the ribs to get him to be quiet.

"O'Neill has a rather advanced neurological system as well as advanced healing powers. This is evident by his advanced fields of study—"

"Which he never bothered to tell anyone about. Playing dumb indeed." I mutter.

"—his ability to heal himself faster than most Tau'ri, and his ability to blend into a crowd if needed."

"Thor, you're saying that I am the first of the next evolution of humanity?" Jack asked, his mouth hanging open.

"I am unsure if you are the first O'Neill, but I know that you are the first that we, the Asgard, have come into contact with and have studied." Thor said

"Unfortunately due to your evolutionary advancements over similar Tau'ri, you are undergoing an unknown number of side effects thanks to our repository being placed in your mind." Oma said sadly.

"What are these side effects? And why did he not experience similar side effects when he downloaded the first repository." I ask.

"The first repository of knowledge that Jonathan downloaded was just knowledge. It was designed to give a person the knowledge of us Alterrans. Your mind cannot handle that much information and the Asgard were able to remove the knowledge without any problems. The second download included not only the knowledge of the first download, but also a code that began to make fundamental changes to your body and mind by activating other dormant genes. These genes are very similar to the Ancient Technology Activation Gene, which you call the ATA gene which allows you operate Alterran technology."

"Why? Why this repository, why me? Why now?" Jack asked.

"Before we ascended, thousands of your years ago, we Alterrans knew that we were doomed. There was a plague that was slowly spreading across this galaxy, killing millions of our kind. The way for us to survive was to ascend to a higher plane of existence, like Daniel Jackson did. As a way of keeping our civilization alive, we decided to seed not only our homeworld, Earth, but many other worlds with small parts of our genetic code. The code was broken down into the simplest pieces and spread far and wide. This way, the younger races, like the Tau'ri, could assimilate these pieces of code, but not interfere with your natural development. We had learned long ago that interfering with the natural development of a race can lead to disaster."

"You mean the ATA gene that Jack has is this 'Code?" I ask.

"The ATA gene is part of what we seeded. However there are more pieces: You have heard of people with telekinesis abilities, faster than normal healing, and many other things your society consider to be 'super natural'. These are latent abilities that come from our genetic code. Over the Eons, these pieces have been passed down, into the current generation of Tau'ri.

"Colonel O'Neill symbolizes the first of your kind to bring together these abilities in one person. Daniel Jackson called one of these latent abilities 'Jack's gut instinct'. He knew that something was wrong before knowing, that is a form of telepathy.

"But why this repository and not the first one?" Jack asked.

"We designed each of our repositories to activate only for someone who carried a specific set of genes. It takes more than just the ATA Gene to activate each one of them, making them the only technology we left behind that cannot be used by anyone with the ATA gene. You have the correct genes, even though many of these genes were dormant, and were able to access our knowledge each time. The first repository, as I said was only knowledge. Our hopes were that one of the races we seeded would become advanced enough and would discover the repository and use its knowledge for the betterment of all.

"After the Asgard helped him, all was well for you Colonel, except that you had developed the ability to heal yourself faster than a normal person and of course your sense of humor became even stranger. Orlin confirmed this for me earlier; he has kept a very close eye on the two of you longer than I have.

"When you, Colonel O'Neill, downloaded the repository the second time, all of your latent abilities began to activate so fast that the changes were happening faster than it was possible for Thor to stop.

"The problem is that your minds are not evolved enough to hold all of the information that is stored in our repositories, even with your minds being enhanced as you already know. We thought that by the time that humanity had evolved enough to access the repositories, your mental capabilities would have increased as well. What we did not take into account was that your brains not only evolved differently from our own, but they are also built differently too. That was one of our larger mistakes in this process. Because of this, we also did not take into account that your language centers would be over written by our own so that the person would only speak Alterran."

"So what, I'm becoming an Ancient?"

"No, as we have already told you, you are the next evolutionary step in your people, just like General Hammond and the rest of humanity are the next evolutionary step from us. While your race has evolved naturally, our evolution came thru advances in science.

"One of the advancements that your race has over ours is your resilience to many of the plagues and diseases of this galaxy; you also have a natural curiosity that makes you want to explore the universe and find what we and the others have left for you."

"What are my new abilities?" Jack asked Oma.

"You have our ability to heal yourself quickly and you will also be able to heal others as well. Most simple bruises, cuts and minor injuries can be cured by just your touch. For other more serious injuries, you will have to use one of our healing devices. They are similar to the Goa'uld healing devices but do a better job since the Goa'uld stole the technology from our descendants." Oma said.

"You also have limited telekinesis, telepathy, and the knowledge of all of the different types of Alterran weapons and vehicles." Thor finished.

"Because of the bond you share, we were able to also give Samantha some of the more scientific knowledge, including information on our power sources, shields, and stargates." Oma said.

"What kind of bond are you talking about?" We both asked together.

Oma smiled at the couple. "You are what we call Animus Materia. In your language you would call it soulmates. It was very rare for any Alterrans to be soulmates. In fact the only soulmates I ever knew of were two individuals whom your history calls Merlin and Morgan Le Fey.

"The bond of soulmates, commonly referred to as a soul-bond, is the connecting of two souls destined to be together. In some of our oldest histories it was said that souls would relive again and again until they finally found their bondmate.

"According to Merlin and Morgan Le Fey, they were able to speak to each other thru telepathy over great distances and were even able to use their bondmate's senses. I know Merlin did this often when they were invited to my home for dinner. If the smells were not to his liking, Merlin would often make an excuse and not come over."

"Sam and I have already experienced this already. It is a little strange."

"Yes, I am sure it will take some time to get used to. Merlin and Morgan also shared knowledge between the two of them. Whatever one of them learned, they both learned and were able to master as if they had each learned independently. This made their research time much more productive and saved us many times while fighting an enemy we did not understand.

"The soul-bond is also a deeply personal connection. You will also share each other's emotions, hopes, dreams, nightmares, desires, and anything else you can think of. I must also say that this bond can even survive the divides between the different planes of existence. I know it will take time to get used too all of this, but I believe that you will be up to the challenge." Oma finished with a proud look on her face.

Thor picked up the story from Oma "When General Hammond informed me about Major Carter's state, I knew something had happened and I would be unable to save Colonel O'Neill unless I saved Major Carter. So I put you both into stasis and began to research what was wrong. Shortly after I began, Orlin came to my ship and explained what had happened and helped me save you."

"How did this bond form?" I asked.

"Orlin was not sure originally, but we now know that the bond first formed when you met for the first time before Colonel O'Neill returned to Abydos to retrieve Daniel Jackson. Your bond began to rapidly grow a year later when you somehow arrived thru the stargate in Antarctica instead of the one you used at the time.

"Then there was what Orlin called the Zat'arc incident. I believe that the Jaffa Teal'c and the one called Janet Frasier bore witness to you admitting your deepest thoughts and desires towards each other. Do I really need to go into details about what happened after that incident?"

"No. I think we are fine. Right Jack?" I asked Jack simply nodded.

"Of course, then after that Colonel O'Neill being marooned on a planet for three months while you, Major Carter, tired to bring him home. It was because of your developing bond that Jack returned and that he did not give into temptation."

"What temptation?" I ask, looking at Jack.

"Umm. Laira tried to seduce me…and have me give her a child."

"Oh really?" I say, getting more and more upset.

"I was drunk and never did anything with her. Thank god." Jack said, giving me his puppy dog eyes.

"Ok Jack. We will return to this topic later. Oma, Thor, please continue."

"Of course Samantha; the next strengthening of your bond happened when you were trapped on your ship, I believe you call it the Prometheus, in the nebula." Oma turned to Jack, who had sat back down on bed. "Samantha's mind created images of her friends and family. She also kissed the image of you, much like the same way you kissed her during your experience in the time loop.

"Finally the bonded finished forming when you, Colonel O'Neill, told Samantha that you did in fact love her more than life itself before he let the knowledge from the repository takes over his mind and body." Oma finished.

"Ok. So we are bonded, we are meant to be together, and all that good stuff. I get that, I accept that, but now I have another question. From what Daniel has told me, ascended beings normally do not interfere in our lives. In fact I believe that it is rule. One that Danny-boy broke many times and was descended because of."

"You are correct. Normally we do not interfere with the lower planes. This is because the lower planes must learn to do things on their own. However, we believe that your race has reached a point in your evolution where you might remain, if you are not pushed. So, we have decided to give you that push.

"With the defeat of Anubis, we, the ascended Alterrans, decided that the time has come for to ask the Asgard to complete the terms of the treaty we made long ago. Shortly before the majority of us ascended, we called for a final meeting of the Council of Four. We asked that other member races protect and watch over our children, who would eventually evolve into the 'Fifth Race.'

"Beyond that, we also asked the council to guide our children but not to directly interfere with their development until they were ready." Oma finished.

"Now that you have reached this level, we Asgard will begin to share all we know with you. This includes our offensive and defensive weapons, medical technology, and our culture."

"What is the catch Thor?" Jack asked.

"Your President Hayes asked the exact same thing when we spoke earlier. The Asgard fulfilled a promise made to one of our oldest allies and friends in the Alterrans, and we also help the Tau'ri become what they are destined to do: Become leaders of the galaxy and defenders of those who cannot fight for themselves.

"Also, we have long believed that the Tau'ri hold the key to our survival." Thor finished.

"Why do you believe that?" I asked, my internal scientist coming out.

"I do not completely understand why myself, but a number of our scientists believe that you are the key to our survival."

"Thank you Thor. You too Oma. So what happens now?" Jack asked, already getting bored.

"I would suggest that you have Teal'c show you how to meditate. It will help you merge the conscious parts of your mind with the part of the Alterran download that is in your subconscious." Oma suggested.

"Alright. Thor, where in the hell are we anyway?" Jack asked.

"O'Neill we are currently on the ice surface of the continent of Antarctica on Earth. We are 372.4 meters away from a ring platform that has been erected to transport people between the surface and the Alterran Complex. The Earth Ship Prometheus landed 401 meters away from this location on the far side of a new runway that has been constructed."

That is a lot of work to do in a short amount of time "How long have we been gone Thor?" I ask.

"It has been no more than a day since you defeated Anubis' armada."

"Thor, I am sure that you can help Jonathan and Samantha with anything else they may need. My time here has come to an end."

"Yes Oma, I will assist the Tau'ri however I can." Thor answered.

Oma smiled. "Thank you Thor." Oma turned towards us "Please take care of each other. What you have is rarer than anything else in the universe. Farewell." And in typical ascended manner, Oma disappeared in a glowing orb.

"O'Neill, Major Carter; General Hammond has requested your presence at a celebratory dinner tonight in the Alterran Complex. I have procured clothing from your domiciles for dinner. You will find the clothing in the bathroom behind you. I will you transport you down to the complex at 1830 hours. The time is currently 1722. Good day." And with that the hologram of Thor disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Hammond's POV

I am going to have dinner with the reunited SG-1. Soon they will be the command staff of the SGC and I am very happy about that. It has now been just over twenty four hours since I saw Jack in that damn stasis pod and things are looking up.

Jack and Sam are both awake and I will meet them on Thor's ship, _The O'Neill II_, and then we will transport down to the Alterran Outpost. From what I have read in Teal'c reports, the outpost is slowly coming to life with the help of the four naquada generators in the outpost. I am sure that Once Major Longo gets the generator shack up and running, things will get even better.

Daniel and Miss Janet are both alright, though they too have been given gifts from Oma. Daniel has his memories restored, and Janet has been given Alterran knowledge about medicine and about the Complex.

To top it off, Jacob Carter contacted me and said that the Tok'ra and the Free Jaffa have reached an agreement and wishes to use the Alpha Site as a temporary base of operations for the new Alliance. I told them the Alpha Site is out of the question, since it was destroyed, but I have given them permission to use the Gamma Site until we have the Alpha Site ready.

So all in all, it has been a very good few days for us. But with the good news, comes bad news. I am traveling to the Alterran Complex via the Asgard Beaming Technology and to be honest, I am a little nervous. This will actually be the first time I have used it. Thor assures me that it is safe and after seeing how many times SG-1 has been transported safely, I know it should be fine, but I still worry a little bit.

I am currently in my old office looking over reports before Colonel Reynolds arrives. With Doctor Weir gone, I am in charge once again. SG-3, 8, 11, and 14 are all off world informing our allies about our victory over Anubis.

I reach for my phone and dial Walter. "Walter, I need you to contact all SGC personnel and get them back to work on their normal duty schedules ASAP." I order into the phone.

"Understood sir. I have also received a call from Cassandra Frasier sir. She wanted to know if her mother would be coming home tonight or staying on base." Walter informs me.

Damnit I forgot about Cassie. "I'll contact her myself. She'll be joining Colonel Reynolds and me at the outpost."

"Understood sir; I'll contact her now and transfer her to you."

"Thank you Walter." And I hang up the phone.

After a few minutes my phone rings.

"Hammond."

"Sir, I have Cassandra Frasier on the phone for you."

"Thank you Sergeant. Go ahead and transfer her."

"Yes sir."

A moment later I hear Cassie. "Grandpa George. Are you there?"

"Hello Cassie, how is school?" I ask her just like I ask my other grandkids.

"Boring. AP Biology is simple, AP US History is somewhat interesting, and AP American Literature is a complete bore. I can't wait until I start college and start getting challenged."

"And any boyfriends?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Dominic and I broke up a couple weeks ago. Evidently Mom and Dad asked Jack, Sam, and Teal'c to_ have a chat about treating me right. Teal'c scared the hell out of him."_

Dad? Who is Janet dating?

"Who are you calling Dad?"

"I thought you knew? Daniel's moved in with us a little while ago. He also showed me his engagement ring for mom and asked if it was alright if I married her."

Cassie sounds really happy with this idea. I am glad. Janet deserves some happiness and I know Daniel will treat her right. The best part is that once she and Daniel get married, I can let Jack and Teal'c have that long overdue chat with her asshole first husband. Teal'c once told me that it had taken one of his enemies' weeks for someone to die due to his techniques. I smile at that thought.

"Well I wish him well. Anyway Cassie, your mom is with Daniel and I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner. We are going somewhere…new. Somewhere with a nice view of CRYSTAL LAKE."

Cassie quiet for a moment before answering. "Of course Grandpa George. What time should I be ready?"

Good girl, she remembers our code phrase and what it means. "Semi formal, dress warm and I'll have Donald Blake pick you up in a little bit."

"Ok, see you soon Grandpa George."

"See you soon sweetheart." The phone line goes dead.

As I hang up the phone, there is a knock at my door. "Enter."

"General Hammond, Colonel Reynolds, reporting as ordered." The Colonel says as he enters.

"Good Colonel. Are you ready for this evening?" I ask him.

"Yes sir. It is always a lot of fun when SG-1 is together and healthy."

"I agree. We'll be picking up Cassie Frasier on our way too."

"Speaking of being on our way, when do we—"

We disappear from my office and arrive on board _The O'Neill II_.

"—expect Thor to pick up us up."

"That would be now Reynolds." I hear someone say from behind us.

I turn around and spoke Jack and Sam both in their dress blues looking healthy and happier than I have seen them in a long time. I also see that they are still holding hands.

"General, Colonel." They both say as they salute us.

"Jack, Sam, it is good to see you. For the evening, we will drop ranks, if that is alright with you." I say to them. They both nod.

"Excellent. Where is Thor? I invited someone else to dinner and I need to arrange to pick—"

Suddenly Cassie Frasier and Jacob Carter appear in beams of light.

"Never mind" I mutter causing Jack, Sam, and the others to laugh.

"Come, we'll give you guys the ten cent tour." Jack says as he leads us around the ship.

Ten minutes later we standing on the bridge and talking with Thor. "General Hammond, the Alterran Outpost has made contact; they are ready for our arrival."

"Thank you Thor." I look around at the rest of my party "Are we ready?" Everyone nods. "Excellent, Thor, beam us down."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The group arrived in the dining room directly, bypassing the crews working outside. Daniel, Major Longo, Teal'c and Janet Frasier were all standing there, waiting for them. Janet, Daniel and Teal'c made their way over to the group to welcome them.

Teal'c stood in front of O'Neill for a moment before he hugged him like a long lost brother.

"I am glad you are well my brother." Teal'c said to O'Neill so that only the two of them and Sam could hear.

"You too Teal'c. I understand you are in charge down here, congratulations." Jack replied.

"My assignment here is temporary; I will continue to serve along side you as I always have and as I always will O'Neill."

"I am thankful for that my brother." Jack replied as he passed Teal'c off to Sam and took Daniel from Sam.

"I understand that you have had some fun while I was away." Jack said as he hugged his 'little brother'.

"Oma decided that it was time for me to regain what had been taken from me. And it is amazing. I mean I remember what happened to you when Ba'al tortured you and how I was not allowed to help you escape. It drove me fucking nuts."

"You're here now, and that is what is important. Whatever happened in the past remains there, alright?"

"Ok Jack, you're right, you're right. Again." Daniel said.

"Doc. Good to see you" Jack said as he passed Daniel off to Cassie and hugged Doctor Napoleon.

"Alright everyone, why don't we sit down and enjoy dinner." Hammond said. Everyone knew it was not a request, but an order.

Dinner was scrumptious and provided a lot of entertainment in the form of Thor trying human food for the first time, and Teal'c and Jack O'Neill have a contest on who can eat more. It was a close race but Teal'c finally pulled away after the 19 piece of cake.

"Alright everyone. Now that Colonel O'Neill has embarrassed himself to no end, there are a lot of things we need to talk about. Thanks to Thor, Jack and Sam have returned to us, as you can obviously see. Though they are not the same as when they left. As many of you may not know, this second Alterran repository not only gave Jack knowledge of the Alterrans, but it also activated dormant genes within his DNA."

"What does this mean General?" Janet asked, always the doctor.

"First off, when we are in this room or any other room, alone, let's drop ranks. Because let's admit it, we're a family. Alright?" Everyone nodded. "Good. To answer your question, Janet, Jack has many of the same abilities that the Ancient Alterrans were rumored to have. Thor, could you fill in the details and reveal some of the good news."

"Of course, George Hammond" Thor burped, causing everyone to laugh. "O'Neill, I do not believe that _Dr. Pepper_ should be drunk by the Asgard." This caused everyone to laugh even more. Once everyone settled down, Thor continued.

"O'Neill now has the ability to rapidly heal him self and others. He can heal minor wounds by his mere touch and for more serious wounds he can use an Alterran Healing Device. He also will have some telekinesis abilities, telepathy, and a mastery of any weapon and vehicle you may come across.

"Samantha Carter, thanks to her bond with Jack O'Neill, now has the Alterran knowledge about the Stargates: how they were built, and how the technology works. She also has scientific knowledge and all of the knowledge about Alterran power sources, weapons, and shields.

"Oma Desala also, with the permission of the other Ascended, returned Daniel Jackson's memories from while he was ascended."

"Daniel, can you tell us where Atlantis is?" Sam asked.

"No I can't. From what I can tell, I have the soft logic of the Alterrans. I can read, write, and speak any language, and dialect, and I have knowledge about different places like here, Atlantis, and other outposts. I even know where these other outposts are, except for Atlantis. I also can speak for centuries about philosophy and other related matters plus I can retain information easier." Daniel said.

"When Daniel passed out, Oma also gave me a gift; she called it the gift of medicine. I know everything there is too know about Alterran medical science including biology, chemistry, genetics, and all other fields related to medicine and health." Janet added.

"Fascinating. That is very good news." George said from the head of the table. "Well let's move on. Teal'c what is the condition of the Outpost itself?"

"Thanks to the knowledge from Daniel Jackson and Janet Frasier, we have discovered that the Alterran Outpost is quite large and had multiple purposes. For a more in depth explanation, I will yield to Daniel Jackson." The Jaffa said.

"Thanks Teal'c. The outpost was an arrival and departure terminal for the gate Jack and Sam found here six years ago. The complex is laid out very similar to how we laid out the SGC; there are two hundred rooms for people to stay in with a large infirmary and other types of laboratories. The gate room was destroyed when the shields failed which caused the gate and the DHD to end up where they did thanks to the shifting of the ice.

"Then there is the control chair. This outpost was also supposed to serve a defensive unit for earth. Someone with the ATA Gene, in this case Jack, can control the main weapons here. The current main weapon are drones, which as you saw are very powerful. There is also a shield generator that I would Sam to look at."

"Thank you Daniel. Joe, what is the condition of the surface?" Hammond asked.

"We have completed the airstrip. It is still made of ice with a top layer of an abrasive material to help with the landing. We have also begun construction on four aircraft and equipment hangers and we have placed missiles and other defensive measures around our perimeter. We did begin construction of barracks, but stopped when we learned about the facilities down here. The ring platform is installed and operating normally and we also have finished the generator house. We now have eight naquada generators synced and powering everything on the surface and direct feeds to the outpost. Thor, we have also run a power feed towards your ship, if you need it."

"Thank you for your offer Joseph Longo, but it is unnecessary." Thor said.

"Excellent work, all of you. You have made quite a bit of progress in the last day and a half for that I am thankful. It assures me that what the President has planned out will work out." George said.

"What is he planning now?" Jack said, somewhat bitter.

"First, it is my unfortunate duty to inform everyone that Vice-President Kinsey was found dead in his private residence. In his bed were two dogs that had been, violated and also four or five bottles of prescription pills." George said.

"Poor bastard. I take the CIA didn't like him either." Jack said, chuckling.

"Nope. The President fired him and then he evidently went home to wallow in self pity and to practice bestiality. President Hayes has also recalled Doctor Weir from her posting as the head of Stargate Command. Elizabeth is leading the reorganization of the IOA and will have our full support in this matter."

"So what about the oversight of the SGC?" Daniel asked.

"Until further notice, the SGC, the Alterran Outpost, Area-51, and the X-301, 302, 303, 304, and 305 projects will all be under the jurisdiction of the Office of Homeworld Security. I have been made a Lieutenant General and placed in command of HWS."

"Then who is running the SGC then?" Janet asked.

"Colonel Reynolds, as the CO of SG-2 will serve as the SGC's 2IC. The new Commanding Officer of Stargate Command will be the Co-Commander of SG-1: Brigadier General Jack O'Neill." George said, smiling.

"I refuse the promotion, sir." Jack said flatly.

The entire room fell into silence at that admission. Jack decided to explain why he was declining the job.

"As the Commanding Officer of Stargate Command, Sam will be under my command and I will not wait any longer to marry Sam and have a life with her." Jack said.

"Jack that is the sweetest, stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life." Sam said as she kissed him.

Jack got out of his chair and dropped down onto one knee "Samantha Grace Carter, I love you. More than I thought I could love anything in my life. Will you marry me?" Jack opened a small velvet box that had been in his pocket.

When Thor picked out some clothes, he had picked Jack's suit with Sam's engagement ring in it. Jack took as a sign from above and decided he didn't want to wait any longer.

"Yes, I'll marry you Jack. But you need to take the promotion, we'll work out everything." Sam said as she kissed Jack.

"Actually, if you would have let me finish, Jack, you have learned that the President feels that the world owes you two and actually all of the SGC and SG-1 in particular, a lot. So you too have his permission to date, marry, have children, and do anything you want, as long as you are happy and as long as you two take the jobs that are being offered to you."

"Oh. In that case, I'll take the job." Jack said.

"What about me?" Sam asked.

"You're going to like this Samantha." George said.

"Samantha, you are going to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given Co-Command of SG-1 with Jack as well as become the Head Scientific Research for the SGC. Officially you will also serve as the third-in-command of the SGC after Jack and Michael Reynolds. Normally the CO of SG-1 would be the 2IC of the SGC, like Jack was, but the President doesn't want the O'Neill family to run everything, yet.

"As for the rest of SG-1, well here we go: Daniel we would you like to be the head of the new department that will handle primarily Archeology, Linguistics, and study of the Ancients, pretty much everything you have been doing. However now you will have a complete staff that you will pick. Specific members of SG-Teams will eventually be trained by your department to do things that you have done over the years in the field. Our hope is the your should be able to delegate many of the lesser issues and concentrate on your major projects, like the Ancient Outpost. Yes Daniel, this is still your baby, but we'll discuss that later."

George turned to the last member of SG-1 "As for you Teal'c, we would like you to become the SGC's primary drill instructor. One of the things that I have known, but the President was surprised about, was that the off-world members are in excellent physical condition but SG-1 is above and beyond that and it is due to your training regiment. Because of this, the President wants you to handle the continual training of all SG-Teams and SGC personnel so that they may all have the best chance to complete their missions. Of course that would also mean that you would help train the new recruits in rules, regulations, and proper procedures."

"It would be an honor George Hammond." Teal'c said.

"Now, don't think that you are stuck on Earth. SG-1 is still the flagship team and will continue to go on missions. You will be more selective about your missions from now. Does anyone have any issues with any of this?"

No one spoke, so George took that as a good sign.

"Good. Now during my meeting with President Hayes, Thor and Oma Desala dropped in. It seems that the Ascended Alterrans have decided that we are ready to accept the knowledge of our ancestors."

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Daniel and Sam asked at the same time.

"It means that the Asgard will share all we know and all we were entrusted with-with the Fifth Race." Thor said.

"Sam, Daniel, this will be your primary project for the foreseeable future. Now do not forge that we still have allies out there who need our help and still more enemies."

"Yes sir." Everyone said.

"Good. Jacob, do you have good news for us from the meeting between the Tok'ra and the rebel Jaffa?"

"I sure do." Jacob lowered his head, when he raised it; his eyes glowed, signaling that Selmac was in control.

"I am pleased to inform you that the Tok'ra and the Rebel Jaffa have agreed to an alliance with each other and with the Tau'ri. General Hammond has given us the use of your Gamma Site as our new base of operations."

Jack smiled, "You know what this means don't you?" He asked the table at large.

"That the Goa'uld's days are over." Sam said, knowing what he thinking thanks to their link.

"Indeed." Teal'c said.

"George. What is the current condition of the SGC? I mean when we left, it was staffed by a skeleton crew." Jacob asked.

"Walter is recalling all personnel to normal hours; I left Walter in charge until one of us returns. Oh that is another change. Daniel, Teal'c you are both 4th and 5th in command of the SGC with Janet being 6th in command. It is still a military facility, but we do have a number of civilians working there and I think you all have earned this right."

"I agree. I would trust these three with my life. In fact I have, on more than one occasion." Jack said.

"Good. Your official promotion ceremonies will be in Washington DC in a few days. Until then I will run the SGC in your absence. SG-1 is officially assigned to the Alterran Outpost for the foreseeable future along with Dr. Frasier and her intern Cassandra Frasier.

Two hours later, the dinner meeting had broken up and everyone decided to stay the night in the outpost. Major Longo had been given command of the Alterran Outpost and Daniel had appointed one of his colleagues to oversee the research of the outpost. Sam had appointed Dr. Rodney McKay, an asshole of the fifth degree, to study the technology within the outpost. She made it very clear to Major Longo that he could shoot McKay if he deemed it necessary. The main reason why was because McKay would want to work with the Asgard and she knew that an upset Thor was not a Thor she wanted to deal with. Major Longo had no problems with his orders and went off to arrange transportation for the two new members of the team.

Daniel had taken Janet off somewhere for some alone time. When Jack had proposed to Sam, it made his decision much easier.

They were alone in one of the hologram rooms. It was designed to give the user any environment known to the user or in the databanks. Daniel chose a white sandy beach at night. As they walked along the beach barefoot, Daniel got very quiet.

"Daniel. What's wrong?" Janet asked.

"Nothing really. It's just that so much has happened lately. You got injured, Jack got injured, we had the run in with the Goa'uld hybrid, then all of these junk with Kinsey, Anubis, and then Oma and her gifts it is all too much some days." Daniel said.

"I know what you mean Daniel. It seems like we run from one disaster to another and never have time to breathe. I mean how many times in the last 7 years have we all felt like we were going to die? Only to be saved at the last minute by Sam, Thor, you, Jack, Teal'c, or something insane?" Janet answered.

"Yes, but there is one thing I do know. I love you Janet. I have loved you longer then I thought possible. After losing Sha're, I thought I would never love again. But I did. Janet, I want someone to come home to at night. I want to hold you when you are sad, and share your happiness. Janet Suzanne Frasier, will you marry me?"

Daniel dropped to one knee and held open a small ring case. Inside it was a simple ring made from Naquadria. All over it were symbols that Janet realized were in Ancient.

"Oh Daniel. I love you! Yes I'll marry you, on one condition. You tell me where you got this ring." Janet said before kissing Daniel hard.

Daniel laughed. "I take it you didn't see Sam's ring?"

"No." Janet answered.

"Jack and I had them made five years ago. I knew that I would never get Sha're back and to be honest, I really didn't love her. I mean I was in love with the idea of being in love with her, but I wasn't in love her. Sha're knew it, and she accepted that fact that I didn't really love her, though I cared about her greatly.

"She knew that one day the Stargate would open and I would go thru it, to complete my destiny. I think she was some sort of seer because she told me things that have only recently happened, including meeting a warrior healer who would steal my heart."

"That is sweet Daniel. But where did you get this ring made, and how did you learn my size?" Janet asked.

"The rings were made on PYX-431. They used Naquadria for everyday tools and crafts. Jack and I had spoken about you and Sam and decided what the hell. The writing was actually done by Teal'c. He is a true artist, isn't he?"

"What does it say?" Janet asked, looking at her ring again.

"It says 'Love survives all, nothing can keep us apart.' They are also tracking devices, thank to Thor, in case of emergency, we can track each other anywhere. Jack and have the matching rings." Daniel held up his hand to show off his ring, "And we also have the wedding bands."

"What are we going to tell Cassie?" Janet suddenly remembered her daughter.

"That I finally got up the nerve to ask you. I already cleared this idea with my soon to be step-daughter. Oh that reminds me, I have a ring for her too. Jack and I think that everyone in the family should have them. Teal'c has already given one to Rya'c and Jacob gave Mark and his family theirs last time he visited them. Though none of them have the inscriptions or are made with the love the engagement rings are made with."

They talked some more before calling it an early night.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Early the next morning, Jack and Sam were up and taking a fast paced run thru the complex. With Jack and Sam's knowledge of the complex, they completed a five kilometer run without running into a single person besides themselves.

They also used the time to explore the complex a little and learn about this new place. One of the first things they discovered was the outpost had some sort of automatic regenerative ability. As more and more systems were powered up, the complex itself came back to life and began to clean itself up and repair broken pieces. This is evident in the control in particular where Teal'c was working on translating some of the Alterran command keys with the help of Thor.

The other thing Jack and Sam found was a bay full of what looked like large cigar tubes. Sam ordered some of her people to begin to check out the bay and the ships inside. They also passed by four infirmary like rooms that they believed were treatment and isolation rooms. They contacted Janet who already knew about them and already had crews scheduled to inventory them.

They ended their room in the power control room. In the middle of the room was what the central power conduit for the complex.

"Jack. According to this information, there should be two Zero Point Modules in here to power the entire complex along with a back up unit in the Control Chair Platform." Sam said, looking at the screens.

"So I used backup power to level Anubis and his fleet? Cool." Jack said.

"Yes and also that single ZPM is powering many of the systems, which it was not meant to do for long period of time." Sam said as she tapped her in ear transceiver. "Teal'c, this is Sam."

"I am here Samantha Carter."

"Teal'c, I need a main power feed from the Generator shack on the surface brought straight to my location in the power distribution center. We are taxing the ZPM backup in the chair. If it fails, then the main weapon will be inoperable."

"I shall contact Major Longo immediately. Thor also says that with knowledge and his laboratories on his ship, you should be able recharge the ZPMs in matter of days."

"Let Thor know I'll grab these two and bring them with me. Carter and O'Neill out." Sam then closed the COM link.

"Well, shall we get cleaned up and get this day started?" Jack asked.

"Only if we can shower together. You know good for the environment and all that." Sam said.

"Of course." Jack smiled and led Sam back to their room.

General Hammond awoke at 0730 hours. Later than he normally would if he were home, but he had been tired the night before. After his morning ritual, George sat down at the desk in his suite and began looking over reports that one of aids had left for him. It wasn't anything big, just organizational red tape-just like when he launched the SGC.

George was almost complete when there was a knock on the door to his suite. Knowing the door and lighting was voice commanded George didn't bother to look up.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"Cassandra Frasier-Jackson, Grandpa George" He heard thru the door.

"Enter." He said, signing the last requisition form.

"Hey. Do you want to get some breakfast?" Cassie asked.

George thought about it the rumble in his stomach for a few moments. "Sounds good to me" He said as he left his desk and headed for the dining hall.

After breakfast, Sam headed off to work with Thor and recharging the ZPMs they had. Daniel was in the middle of reading about the complex from the database, Janet and her people were taking inventory of the medical facilities and Teal'c working on getting long range communications up and running. So this left Jack alone for the first time since he was placed in the stasis pod.

Deciding to go and see the infamous pod, Jack strolled thru the corridors until he came to the chamber in question. He entered the chamber and looked around, knowing instinctively what everything in the chamber was. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Jacob Carter in the chamber.

"Bringing back old memories?" Jacob asked.

Jack spun around and saw who it was. "Kind of; it's just that for the first time since I was placed in one of these, I was alone."

"I know. Sam is working with Thor and asked not to be disturbed." Jacob said.

"Jack, can we talk for a few minutes." Jacob asked. Jack suddenly realized who Jacob was. He was Retired Major General Jacob Marcus Carter. Father of Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Samantha Grace Carter, host to Selmac of the Tok'ra, and not someone who Jack to have upset with him.

"Sure, Jacob" Jack said.

"I think under the circumstances, you should call me 'Dad'; Alright son?" Jacob said.

"Uh…sure thing…dad" Jack responded.

"Good come on. Show me around this place" Jacob said motioning for Jack to lead the way. "I understand that you, Sam, Daniel, and Janet know a lot about this place already."

"It's not that simple for Sam and me. Janet knows because she mediates quite often. According to Oma, Sam and I need to meditate and merge our conscious and subconscious minds. If we don't, we'll get only bits and pieces of information. Daniel, I think, needed to only concentrate on what he lost since he knew he was missing something." Jack said.

"It was similar for Selmac and me when we first blended. It took a while for me to properly do Kel'nor'eem, but once I did reach it, Selmac and I were able to merge our memories pretty easily." Jacob said.

"Yeah, Kannan and I had a similar situation, though Kannan purposefully did not completely blend with me because it was only temporary. By the way, any idea where he is?" Jack asked.

"No." Jacob answered. Jack picked up on the lie. With his telepathic abilities, he could easily tell if someone was lying.

"You know, 'Dad', I would expect some of the other Tok'ra to lie to my face. But to hear a blatant lay coming from you, with Selmac remaining quiet, well it just rubs me the wrong the way." Jack said, coming to a dead stop.

"So let's be honest with each other, shall we. Are you butt hurt that I didn't ask your permission to marry Sam? Or is it that you don't approve of me as your future son-in-law?" Jack asked.

Jacob didn't answer. It was all the answer Jack needed. "Thank Jacob. I now know where I stand with you and the Tok'ra." Jack turned and walked away. "Oh and by the way, Sara left me when I was on Abydos the first time, I didn't leave her! Get your facts straight the next time you want to dress down someone. You would think that with two brains you could do that."

Jacob Marcus Carter! What was that all about? Selmac asked.

He isn't good enough for Sam, Selmac. You and I both know it! Jacob retorted.

No man will be in your mind. I can see it just as well as you can.

That is beside the point. Jack is the reason that his son is dead Selmac. He left his service pistol out and his son blew his head off with it!

And how is that different from what Mark and Sam did when they were teenagers?

It was different because I taught them how to fire a gun and why it should never be treated as a toy.

And you only did that after Marilyn died. You know from the official report that Sara O'Neill refused to let Jack teach Charlie about guns and that Charlie, being a boy, was curious. You also know that it was Sara who left the key to the lock box out where Charlie O'Neill could find it, not Jack. It was Sara's fault not Jack's and he has never been told the truth about the entire situation.

He still isn't good enough for her! Regardless of what Sara O'Neill did to him and Charlie. He is older than she is, her superior officer and is too much like me.

But listen to yourself Jacob. You just said that no one will eve be good enough for your daughter.

No one but Jack has made her happy Selmac.

I know this, then why in the name of the great maker did you treat Jack O'Neill so poorly.

Because he is too much like me. He puts himself in danger day in and day out. He is married to the Air Force and never break the regs. I want Sam to be happy, but Jack is not the answer. There is too much in the way.

Did you not hear George Hammond last night say that the regulations that have plagued them for the last seven years have been altered so that they can be together?

Oh SHIT!

"General Carter." A young SF stood before him. Jacob didn't even realize he had been walking.

"Yes."

"Sir, General O'Neill has requested you either return to your quarters or 'get the hell off my planet'. Sir."

"Let the General know that I will return to my quarters to pack up before I return to Colorado Springs to my daughter's house."

"I'm sorry sir, but my orders are escort you back to your quarters here, or to escort back to the SGC and thru the stargate without a GDO. The General said the Tok'ra is no longer welcomed on Earth. If you need to contact us in person, you can do so thru the Alpha Site."

"I need to speak to my daughter." Jacob said defectively.

"Lieutenant Colonel Carter said to give you this if you chose to remain in your quarters." The SF said. It was only now that Jacob realized they were standing outside his quarters. "I am sorry sir, but I need to remove your weapon from your person and any other weapons you may have within your quarters."

Jacob let him take his zat and do a sweep of the entire room before he left. "Meals will be brought to you at 0700, 1200, and 1800 hours sir. There will be two SFs stationed outside your door and six more in the hallway. If you try to leave, they are authorized to shoot to kill. According to General O'Neill, you are no better than the goa'uld. Sir." The SF saluted Jacob and left the room.

I guess Jack is really pissed at you Jacob. I really can't blame him to be perfectly honest. Though I think he may have gone a little too far in regards to his statement about us Tok'ra. We'll have to speak to George Hammond about this.

It won't do any good Selmac. As the Commanding Officer of the SGC, Jack is well within his rights to ban us from the planet as per the Air Force rules.

Oh. Well in that case, you and I are in very deep trouble; to say nothing about the rest of the galaxy. You should read the letter Samantha gave you. I cannot believe that she wrote one so quickly.

I know.

Jacob looked at the front of the envelope for a moment. 'Lieutenant General Jacob Marcus Carter, Tok'ra Ambassador to the Tau'ri' it said.

Jacob opened the envelope and read the letter:

Dear Father:

Jack has just informed about what transpired between the two of you thru our link and I must say I am disappointed in you and Selmac. I thought that the snake in your head was supposed to mellow you out, not make your verbal attacks hurt even more. Yes father, those same attacks that you subjected Mark and I to when we were younger. That is the reason why Mark hates the military and you, you could just never back off.

As my fiancée, bondmate, and husband according to some planets that we have already been too, I back Jack up one hundred percent. You are wrong in your views about Jack and I. Jack is the man for me, he always has been and always will be. It is one of the things about bondmates, we are meant to be together. Period.

As for lying to Jack about Kannan: you should have remembered that Jack and I have telepathic abilities and some empathic abilities too. Jack would have accepted Selmac had not wanted you to tell us the truth, but for you to lie to him and in extension me, well that is unfortunate because now you must pay the price.

At the recommendation of the Director of Homeworld Security, the Commanding Officer of Stargate Command, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard, and the Leader of Rebel Jaffa, the President of the United of America has terminated the treaty between the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra effective immediately.

Due to your long service to the United States Air Force, you are not to be shot for treason against this country. You have been given a reprieve and so have the remaining Tok'ra in this galaxy.

Now you have two choices: One is to leave Earth never to return and when you cross an SG-Team or one of our allies, you will be shot on site. Or second, you may submit yourself to the Asgard who will transport you to the Tollan homeworld where they will remove the parasite from your body and return you to earth.

Please be advised that if you choose the second option, you will never be able to contact myself or my fiancée again or our children. Once Mark learns that you are a traitor to your country, he will probably shoot you himself if given the chance.

He may hate the military, but he is a patriot.

Selmac, I know that this sounds harsh, but we are all very upset with Jacob and especially with you. If you would have shut my father up, or even better, been honest with Jack, then this entire situation might have been avoided.

As a token of my gratitude for saving my father's life, though it saved your own as well, I have a gift you and for my father. Included in this letter are all the emotions that Jack, myself, General Hammond, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Bra'tac, President Hayes, and Thor feel regarding this situation. You will experience each one of them in thirty seconds. Do not try to put the letter down. Thor has treated the paper with a substance the bonds the paper to your hands for a duration of one hour. I must say that the Alterrans really know how to get a point across.

Sincerely

Lieutenant Samantha Grace Carter (O'Neill)

United States Air Force

Co-Commander of SG-1

Jacob and Selmac slowly began to feel the hate, betrayal, fear, disgust, loathing, and sense of loss from those who mattered most in Jacob's life. Each new emotion caused Jacob to whimper and cry a little more. By the time that they felt Sam and Jack's emotions, Jacob was already in tears; Selmac was mourning what they had lost because of her stupid pride, Jacob's inability to realize that his daughter had grown up, and both of their stubbornness.

Unknown to either of them, Jacob's quarters had a security camera in it that allowed Jack and Sam to watch and hear what was going on. They were also able to use the telepathic ability to listen to Jacob and Selmac 'talking' to each other.

Do you think they have learned their lesson? Jack asked Sam.

Not yet. I want to make them suffer a little more. Sam replied.

Why?

"Because Jack, my father should have been happy for us. I will grant that he had the right to be a little upset that you didn't ask him for his blessing, but honestly it should not have made any difference. Then to use the information about what Sara did to you regarding Charlie and his death… and the guilt I know you still carry…No. He needs to suffer a little. And as for Kannan, when I get my hands on him, he is dead. Three zats, no questions asked. Even if he is within a host, he is done. The host too. I am extremely pissed off."

The both went back to staring at the screen and caught a heated discussion thanks to their telepathy.

Selmac, it is not your fault! You don't want to do this!

I am sorry Jacob. I know that you love your daughter and that you spoke without thinking when dealing with Jack earlier. I now realize that I have come between you and your daughter with all the lies and all the secrets I have asked you to participate in. Jack O'Neill is right, we are no better than the Goa'uld. We just do things a little differently. With my death, you will be free to remain on your homeworld and live a life of peace and try to restore what has been destroyed.

Selmac, it is my fault. Jack is too much like me. I don't want Sam to go thru what Marilyn went thru when we were married. It is not fair to Sam to wait up at night, wondering if Jack was coming home.

But it is different with them Jacob. Samantha will be by Jack O'Neill's side in the battle field…

"I think I've heard enough. Let's get in there before Selmac offs herself." Sam said. A moment later they were in Jacob's quarters, thanks to Thor.

"Jack! Sam! What are you doing here?" Jacob asked.

"Making sure that neither you nor Selmac do anything stupid, like off yourselves" Jack said.

"How did you…you've been spying on us, and using your telepathic abilities to hear us." Jacob stated.

"Yes. Do you want to know why, Father?" Sam asked, still upset with her father for his remarks.

"Because I hurt you and I hurt Jack. I went for the jugular and I am sorry for that Jack. It's just that I still see Sammie as that little girl with pigtails and a laugh that would light up any room she bounced into.

"Jack, I want the best for Sammie and you Jack…you are the best for her, I know that without any hesitation, but you are too much like me when I was younger. When we spoke earlier, I was thinking about how I didn't want to have Sam go thru what Marilyn went thru. The constant worrying about me, whether I would be back alive, what my mental and physical condition would be, and if I would safe to be around when I did make it home. I think that stress is one of the reasons that she died."

"But shouldn't it be our decision?" Sam asked.

"Yes it should be, and as Selmac reminded me, you two are not Marilyn and me. You too will protect each other and make sure they other one comes back in one piece.

"I am sorry Samantha. And you too Jon…Jack. I am sorry for hurting you, and I am really sorry for dragging up Charlie and your first wife. It was below the belt and way out of line."

Jacob dropped his head and let Selmac take control. "I am sorry too." Selmac said.

"For too long the Tok'ra have thought ourselves to be better than all others because of what we are. We have lost sight that we do not have all the answers and that we do make mistakes which sometimes cost dearly. This is indeed a long overdue lesson that we have needed to have taught to us. Only a great race, like the Four Races, could teach it. I find it only right that the Fifth Race is the one that teaches us." Selmac bowed his head before continuing.

"Jonathan O'Neill, to answer your question from earlier, Kannan was found six months after you escaped from Ba'al. Colonel Carter, you and the other members of SG-1 were correct in assuming that Kannan measured himself against you and that is why he returned to Ba'al, to free the slave Kannan had fallen in love with. Kannan is still working for us, but nowhere near the Tau'ri. I can tell you that Jacob was very…upset and explained his displeasure with Kannan in person on more than one occasion. After seeing the bond you and Samantha share, I can understand why he feels so strongly. At the time I did not. I ask you to forgive me and I vow to do better in the future, if you allow us the chance to live. I place my life in your hands."

Jacob took back control and spoke, "And, officially, for the record Jack. If there was a man in the universe who was good enough for my little girl, then I am damn glad that it is you. I am sorry for what I said and I would be honored to have you as my son-in-law." Jacob held out his hand to Jack.

Jack looked at the hand then gave Jacob a right cross that knocked him off his feet. "Now I forgive you, Dad." Jack said as he held out his hand for the older man.

"I guess I deserved that didn't I?" Jacob asked as he felt where Jack had hit him.

I could fix this bruise, but I think we both need to remember this lesson for a while. Don't you agree Jacob?

Yes Selmac.

Jack smirked, "Just a little. Be glad I hit you and not Sam, she's been practicing with Teal'c again."

Jacob looked over to his daughter, "Sammie?" He asked.

"Just don't ever pull that kind of shit again or else you will never meet your grandchildren."

"Understood. Colonel." Jacob gave Sam a salute which caused Sam to fall into giggles.

"Hey Jack, where can we get some cake?" Jacob asked.

"You know, I was just explaining to Thor last night that cake makes all problems seem easier. Come on, let's go find some."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

By dinner that evening, things were much better between Jacob and the O'Neills. After having a discussion with her father, Teal'c and Daniel, she learned that Jack and she were already married many times over thanks to the multiple ceremonies that they had participated in over the years.

Like the previous night, the Clan O'Neill, as Jack jokingly referred to their group, was once again in the conference room enjoying their dinner.

George, as the Patriarch of the family, sat at the head of the table with Jack to his right followed by Sam. To his left were Jacob, Janet, Daniel, and then Teal'c.

"So George, when is the promotion ceremony?" Jacob asked.

"It will be a private ceremony in the Oval Office tomorrow afternoon followed by dinner in the east room. We are required to be there at 1645 hours. Everyone is required to be in their dress blues. Daniel, Teal'c, you will also be given your new civilian orders tomorrow as well. Cassie and I took the liberty of picking up your new civilian dress uniforms. They look very similar to the military dress blue uniforms, but without the rank and military insignias. They are in your quarters."

"Thank you George Hammond."

"Yeah thank you George. If I may ask, how did you get mine and Teal'c's sizes?" Daniel asked.

"Your future stepdaughter" George replied.

At 1630 hours the next day, the group was standing around the throne chair as Janet, Sam, and Daniel were giving out last minute orders to their subordinates.

"Carson, the gene therapy will be fine. I have already set up the lab; all you need to do is relax and just give everyone a single shot." Janet told the Scottish Doctor.

"…Damnit McKay, just do as you're told or so help me god I'll make sure that Major Longo puts a bullet in your head. Or leave orange peels under your bed." Sam yelled.

"…I think Sam and I have unlocked everything, just plug in the computers and begin work on the translations…"

"General O'Neill, General Hammond sir. Permission to bring in another officer as my 2IC of the outpost" Major Longo asked the two men.

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Major John Sheppard." Long answered.

"Isn't he the man who was going to get court martialed for disobeying orders?" Jack asked.

"And in doing so saved the lives of the soldiers he was ordered to leave."

"I like him already. Bring him in, but keep him on a short leash for a little while. Is he stationed in DC?" Jack ordered.

"No sir. He is currently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, but I have requested his presence at the promotion ceremony this afternoon." Reynolds said.

"Excellent work Reynolds. We'll talk more there." Jack said.

Jack pulled out his communication stone and activated it. "Thor, this is Jack, eight to beam to Washington."

"DAMNIT MAJOR I AM DEATHLY ALLERGIC—" were the last words that they heard from McKay as they left and say Major Longo tossing orange peels at the scientist.

Arriving on the bridge of Thor's ship, Jack and Sam both broke into giggles about Major Longo and McKay.

"How long do you think McKay is going to live?" Jack asked.

"Depends on whether or not Longo throws the orange down McKay's throat." Sam answered.

"Thor, will you be joining us for this ceremony?" Jacob asked.

"Yes Jacob Carter, I will be accompanying you all. Please prepare for transport."

Jack and Sam grabbed each other's hands before Thor beamed them to the new secure arrival and departure room of the White House. When they arrived, everyone saw that Thor was no longer looking like himself, but looked like a human.

He was a tall man, 6'5" with wide shoulders and pure muscle. In this form, Thor could give Teal'c a run for his money in the physical fitness department. With his piercing blue eyes and long blond hair, he could almost pass for a distant relation of Jack and Sam's. He was also wearing a proper three piece pinstripe suit, black fedora hat, and carried a polished wooden cane.

"O'Neill, you and the others may call me 'Donald Blake', the alter ego of the character Thor you're your Marvel Comic Book Series."

"Very cool Thor. Is this a hologram?" Sam asked.

"Very advanced holographic projection. I will pass any scans your people have as a human."

After a quick check with the Secret Service Agent who guarded the door, the group made their way to the East Room of the White House for a small reception before the promotion ceremony. President Hayes, his wife, the White House Chief of Staff, and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were waiting for them.

"George! I see you brought the whole gang here today. Can you make the introductions for us? Many of us have read their files and reports, but we have never actually met them." Hayes asked.

"Of course Mr. President; may this is Mr. Donald Blake, better known as Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard." George said.

"Mr. President." Thor/Blake said.

"Next to him is Retired Major General Jacob Marcus Carter. General Carter is the host to the symbiote Selmac of the Tok'ra."

"General Carter, would it be possible to speak with Selmac for a moment?" Mrs. Hayes asked.

Jacob dropped his head as Selmac took over and flashed Jacob's eyes. "President Hayes, I am Selmac of the Tok'ra. I must ask you about the time you, George Hammond, and Jacob Carter wrestled those four nurses in the big jell-o bowl."

SEL!! WHY IN THE HELL DID YOU BRING THAT UP?!?!?!?!

Because I could and I knew that President Hayes would love it.

Everyone turned to look at the President, George, and then Jacob. Mrs. Hayes decided to explain to the others about the joke.

"Henry, George, and Jacob here were First Lieutenants stationed in West Germany in the early 1960's. While on weekend liberty, they got drunk and decided to flirt with three nurses who challenged them to a wrestling match. Needless to say, the boys lost. Henry and I were married fourteen months later, George and Anna were married six months after our wrestling match and Jacob here…Jacob and Katherine were married two years later, mainly due to Jacob being too nervous to propose. Isn't that right Jacob?" Jennifer Hayes asked sweetly.

"Yes Jenny." Jacob said, sulking.

"Anyway, now that Selmac has embarrassed us too no end; let me continue with the introductions; this Major Doctor Janet Frasier, Chief Medical Officer of Stargate Command and her fiancé Doctor Daniel Michael Jackson. Doctor Jackson is our expert in Linguistics, Archeology, Alterrans, and of course about being ascended. Doctor Jackson is also the Earth Ambassador from Abydos and one of the members of SG-1."

"Congratulations on your engage Dr. Jackson, Major Frasier." President Hayes said.

"Thank you sir. Daniel and I have decided that with what we do, we should not wait any longer because we do not know what tomorrow brings." Janet said.

"Well said Mom." Cassie said.

"Cassie!! I am sorry sir, please let me present our daughter, Cassandra." Janet said.

"Doctor Frasier, I thought you adopted a little girl who survived a goa'uld attack?" Jennifer Hayes asked.

"Yes I did. Cassie was the soul survivor from the planet Hanka. Daniel plans on adopting Cassie after we're married." Janet replied.

See that this satisfied everyone, George carried on with the introductions. "Next is Teal'c. He is from the planet Chulak, formerly under the control of the goa'uld Apophis. Teal'c is also the Earth Ambassador from Chulak and one of the leaders of the Jaffa Rebellion as well as one of the members of SG-1."

"President Hayes, Mrs. Hayes, I am honored to meet you both." Teal'c said as he bowed to the first couple.

"The honor is ours Teal'c. What you have done for all free people is worthy of many songs and stories. I am sure that one day your name will be known far and wide." Henry Hayes said.

"Yes, Teal'c is one of the reasons why SG-1 makes it home every time and why Earth is still free." Jack said.

"Well, Teal'c may be part of that reason Jack, but Doctor Jackson, Major Carter, and you are also part of that reason." Jacob said.

"Very true Jacob. Mr. President, Ma'am, may I present to you Colonel Steven Reynolds, the Commanding Officer of SG-2." George said.

Colonel Reynolds shook the President and First Lady's hands.

"This here is Major Doctor Samantha Grace Carter." George said, pointing at Sam. "Major Carter has a PhD in Astrophysics and is the foremost expert on the Stargate and wormhole theory in general."

"Colonel Carter, it is an honor to meet you finally. After reading all of your reports, I still have no idea about half of what you say, but I am glad you do." The President said, shaking Sam's hand.

"See Sam. I feel the exact same way." Jack said with a straight face.

"Thank you sir. It is an honor to meet both of you." Sam said ignoring Jack.

"And finally, allow me to introduce Colonel Jonathan Patrick 'Jack' O'Neill. Colonel O'Neill is the Commanding Officer of SG-1 and currently the Second in Command of the SGC. Jack is not only the Earth Ambassador to the Asgard, but he is also Heir to the Alterrans and Major Carter's fiancée."

"Colonel, it is an honor to meet you finally. Thank you for your hard work and for putting your life on the line for all of us."

"It is my honor, sir." Jack said.

"Well, why don't we get this show on the road then." Hayes said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for coming to this promotion ceremony. Today we are here to honor the achievements of seven individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to not only the United States Air Force, but to Earth as a whole.

"First off, Major General George Washington Hammond, step forward" George stepped up and took his place in front of the President.

"George and I have known each other for over forty years now, since we were in basic training. We have grown up together, stood by each other when we were married, watched our children grow up, and helped each other when our careers diverged.

"When George thought he was getting to the end of his career, he took command of the inactive SGC so that he could run out the clock on his retirement. Well needless to say that George did not retire, though the time has come for him to move on. At this time, I would like to introduce the Secretary of Defense William Kilpatrick."

The Secretary of Defense made his way to the podium, and opened a file folder.

"Attention to orders." Everyone in the room stood and all of the military personnel snapped to attention. "The President of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Air Force, has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity, and abilities of Major General George Hammond. In view of these special qualities, and his demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, Major General Hammond is promoted to the grade of Lieutenant General, United State Air Force, effective this day, by order of the Secretary of the Air Force."

General West and President Hayes changed out Hammond's two stars for his new three stars. Once completed, both men saluted the new Lieutenant General who returned their salute.

"At this time, President Hayes will administer the Oath of Office." Kilpatrick said.

"George, repeat after me "I, George Washington Hammond/// having been appointed a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force /// do solemnly swear /// that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States /// against all enemies, foreign and domestic /// that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same /// that I take this obligation freely /// without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion /// and that I will well and faithfully discharge /// the duties of the office which I am about to enter /// so help me God."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Lieutenant General George Washington Hammond." Everyone applauded loudly and congratulated George on the long over due promotion.

"Our newly minted Lieutenant General will not only be heading up Homeworld Security, but he will also be serving as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Hammond will directly oversee the SGC, Area-51, the X-301, X-302, X-303, X-304, X-305 projects, the Alterran Outpost, and our off-world bases and embassies. Needless to say George, you are going to be a busy man."

Everyone chuckled at George. Realizing what he was now in charge of made him realize that the SGC would be a cake walk. His face showed the shock.

"Shortly after I took office, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I began a top to bottom review of the Stargate Program, Area-51, and related programs. What we discovered was that the SGC was run very well under the Command of then Major General Hammond while Area-51 and the other related programs, while running well, were not running anywhere as well as the SGC so we began to make changes. The first change that we decided on was that we needed someone to oversee the entire program, so we promoted Lieutenant General Hammond and his subsequent assignment as the Director of Homeworld Security.

"The second change is a top to bottom restructuring of the SGC; from the command staff to the enlisted airmen. The SGC itself will continue to be considered a military installation, but there will civilians within the upper levels of the command structure. The 6th in command of the SGC will be the Chief Medical Officer Major Janet Frasier.

"Janet Frasier, please step forward." Janet stepped up next to the podium and saluted the President.

"Major Doctor Janet Frasier, as the Chief Medical Officer of Stargate Command, you have constantly demonstrated the highest levels of professionalism and ideals of not only the United States Air Force, but of all medical practitioners throughout the world. George, if you would?" Hayes asked Hammond who nodded. After reaching the podium he spoke.

"Attention to orders." Everyone in the room stood and all of the military personnel snapped to attention. "The President of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Air Force, has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity, and abilities of Major Janet Suzanne Frasier. In view of these special qualities, and his demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, Major Frasier is promoted to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel, United State Air Force, effective this day, by order of the Secretary of the Air Force."

General Hammond and President Hayes changed out Janet's Major Insignias for the Lieutenant Colonel Insignias. Once completed, both men saluted her then she returned their salute.

"At this time, President Hayes will administer the Oath of Office." Hammond said.

"Dr. Frasier, repeat after me "I, Janet Suzanne Frasier/// having been appointed a Lieutenant Coronal in the United States Air Force /// do solemnly swear /// that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States /// against all enemies, foreign and domestic /// that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same /// that I take this obligation freely /// without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion /// and that I will well and faithfully discharge /// the duties of the office which I am about to enter /// so help me God."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Lieutenant Colonel Janet Suzanne Frasier."

The remainder of the ceremony was a blur for Jack except for a few specific things. After Janet got her promotion, Teal'c and Danny were presented with the Civilian Service Medals and their new orders. Then Sam was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given her new orders before being presented with the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, Meritorious Service Award, Air Medal, the Air Force Combat Action Medal, and the newly created SGC Award of Valor and the SGC Distinguished Service Cross.

Sam later filled Jack in what he and Jacob had received. Jack received the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, Meritorious Service Award, Air Medal, the Air Force Combat Action Medal, the SGC Award of Valor, the SGC Distinguished Service Cross, three Purple Hearts, Prisoner of War Medal, and the Air Force Medal of Honor.

Jacob, who had retired shortly after Jack for the first time, was officially recalled to active duty and assigned to Homeworld Security as the Off-world contact to the Tok'ra. Jacob was also officially recognized at the Tok'ra Ambassador to Earth. He was then promoted to Lieutenant General, just like George.

The dinner that followed held no memories for Jack. In fact nothing really registered in Jack's brain until Thor beamed the group back to the SGC gate room. The only thoughts he had in his head were of him and Sam bare ass naked on his desk in his office.

"Well, I'm glad that we are done with the Dog and Pony Show." Jack aid as began to remove his coat and tie.

"Indeed." Teal'c said.

"Alright everyone. There are offices that need to get moved around and new assignments to start." Hammond said. "But first things first…Jack I would put your coat and tie back on, son."

"Why?"

The blast doors opened and all of the SGC personnel entered the room. Once they were in place, Walter spoke up. "Base Attention!!"

All of the military personnel snapped to attention while the civilians also stood up straight. George, who was still standing on the gate ramp, spoke up.

"Thank you Sergeant. At ease, everyone." The military personnel dropped into what is known as parade rest and waited for their General to address them.

"It has been an honor to serve with you here for the last seven years. Stargate Command has been Earth's first line of defense against the goa'uld and also our first line for meeting new people and acquiring new technologies.

"Our base has saved the lives of this planet a dozen times over and I want to thank you all for your hard work." There was a large amount of applause before Hammond continued.

"As you all know, I have been recently promoted to Lieutenant General and placed in charge of the Office of Homeworld Security which will be based out of Cheyenne Mountain and the SGC. At this time, I would like to introduce to you the new command staff of the SGC.

"Lieutenant Colonel Janet Frasier will continue to serve as the Chief Medical Officer of the base. Doctor Daniel Jackson will be heading up the new Archeology, Research, and Linguistics. Dr. Jackson will also be the general ambassador to all off world cultures we come into contact with.

"Teal'c will be in charge of the SGC training program and also the Chief Trainer for all new recruits. All training for base personnel will be handled by Teal'c and his training team.

"Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter will serve as the 3rd in Command of the Base as well as the Second in Command of SG-1. Colonel Carter will also be heading up the Department of Research and Development of Alien Technologies. Colonel Reynolds will serve as the base's Second in Command and the Commanding Officer of SG-2. Colonel Reynolds will also be the SGC liaison to other HWS programs like Area-51."

George took a deep breath before continuing "Last but not least, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill will serve as the new Commander of the SGC and the Commanding Officer of SG-1. General O'Neill." Hammond looked over at Jack who moved to stand next to him.

Hammond then removed an official set of papers and read from them. "By order of the Secretary of the Air Force, under order from the President of the United States of America, I hereby transfer control of this facility to General Brigadier Jonathan Patrick O'Neill on this day and at this place." Hammond then saluted Jack who then turned to the assembled group.

"Thank you General Hammond. As you all know, I am a man of few words so I'll be brief." Jack looked at his family and then looked over the gate room at large. "With the defeat of Anubis, the mission profile of the SGC will slowly begin to change over the next few months from just a military operation to a military, scientific, and diplomatic mission. While we begin this change, I expect the same level of devotion and excellence that I have come to expect from all of you. I only hope that I can provide the same leadership that you have come to expect from General Hammond. Thank you."

The applause was deafening as Jack stepped off the ramp. He then pulled Sam into his arms and into a deep, passionate kiss which caused everyone to clap louder and woof whistle. Not to be outdone, Daniel grabbed Janet and kissed her with just as much love and devotion that Jack was kissing Sam with.

"Now that you have been provided your daily entertainment by the future Mr. & Dr. O'Neill, and the future Dr. & Dr. Jackson, everyone dismissed!" Hammond then turned to Jacob, "And you owe me a hundred bucks for each couple." George said as the two Generals left the gate room, leaving the two couples still kissing.

As Teal'c and Cassie left the gate room, they turned off the lights and closed the blast doors, leaving the couples in complete blackness. Cassie and Teal'c laughed when they heard the screams from the gate room and thuds as they stumbled over each other.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

_**Six Months Later**_

For the first time in six months, things were not going well around the SGC. Since defeating Anubis, the Tau'ri could do no wrong it looked like. The alliance of the Tau'ri, Tok'ra and Jaffa was strong and had been responsible for the defeat of ten more goa'uld. Over fifty planets had been liberated from control of the false gods and the new Jaffa Nation was slowly beginning to take shape. The Tollan, who learned that the Tau'ri were indeed the Fifth Race suddenly became very interested in sharing their technology and overall everyone in the galaxy was happy.

Meanwhile on Earth, the Air Force finished and launched the Daedalus, the prototype of the new X-304 class of Earth's Battle Cruisers. The Daedalus Class Cruiser was designed to replace the X-303 Battle Cruiser Prometheus.

The X-304 was not just a new class of spacecraft, it was the first starship to incorporate Tau'ri, Goa'uld, Asgard, Tollan, and Alterran technologies in her construction; unlike the Prometheus, which had been retrofitted with the Asgard technology after she was already built. This led to many issues which never were completely resolved.

Prometheus herself would remain in service after an extensive refit which would include the integration of an Alterran Power distribution system and Asgard weapons. Unfortunately the structural integrity of the ship would never hold up to the stresses of long term hyperspace travel. Because of this, the Prometheus would be assigned to medium duty after her retrofit.

Beyond the new Battle Cruisers, a new unmanned space station and been constructed and was placed in high orbit. It was cloaked using Asgard Phasing Technology. This cloaking system would send the station out of phase, making it completely invisible. The station's purpose was allow serve as a rely point so that people could transport from place to place on the surface of the earth using Asgard beaming technology.

There were also plans for the construction of a permanent base on the dark side of Luna. The base, code named Icarus, would serve as the base of the earth space fleet. While the plans for Icarus were years away from possible fruition, there were many people who were not comfortable with the idea of a moon base, including the command staff of the SGC and Lieutenant General Hammond. Because of this, the plans were quietly placed on the back burner.

This time period also signified the end of the restructuring of the SGC operations. Stargate Command now had a fully equipped diplomatic staff led by Elizabeth Weir with Daniel Jackson serving as Earth's official Ambassador. The Research and Development Department was now fully staffed and equipped with a staff made up of Civilians, Military Personnel, and a rather number of aliens including Asgard, Jaffa and Tok'ra.

Teal'c's training team now had training centers set up all over a dozen worlds and moons, giving the new recruits all different types of terrains and conditions to train on. Teal'c's training team now included twelve trainers, and a staff of five people at each one of the off-world training centers. Just like Sam's department, Teal'c's staff included many of their allies. Master Bra'tac was in charge of the main off-world training facility where SGC personnel learned hand-to-hand combat and many Jaffa fighting styles and tactics. Some of the instructors were the mythical Sodan Warriors who had come out of hiding shortly after Anubis' defeat in order to fulfill a long forgotten pledge.

However today was the first day that things were not going well. Today was the day that Sam was going to get answers and she didn't like the possibility of the results.

It started a few weeks ago, Sam starting waking up in the mornings feeling queasy and had the urge to throw up. Whenever she looked at food, she felt ill, and the mere thought of coffee was enough to send Sam into the bathroom for twenty minutes.

Then of course when she did eat, she ate almost as much as Teal'c. This caused many people to stare at her and begin to talk about her appetite. However, no one dared say anything in the vicinity of SG-1 or Doctor Frasier. Captain Johnson learned this lesson the hard way when he was assigned to the training corps for two days and came back in need of a prolonged stay in the infirmary, even though he was subjected to a very upset medical staff.

On this particular morning, both Sam and Janet had been praying to the porcelain god at their respective homes. After getting up and dressed, snapping at their fiancées, and throwing them both out of the house for a few days, the two women found themselves in the same elevator on the way to the lower levels.

"Morning Janet." Sam said in between bites of her donut.

"Morning Sam. How are you doing this morning?" Janet said, eating a breakfast burrito.

"Jack was being an ass this morning, so I threw him out of the house for a few days."

"You know, Daniel was an ass to me too this morning. They are probably going to crash over at Jack's old house with Teal'c and your dad. By the way, how is the new house coming?"

Shortly after returning to Colorado, Sam and Jack decided that they needed a new house. After weeks of searching, they decided to build a new house on land Jack's grandfather had owned. It was only 10 minutes from Cheyenne Mountain.

Originally when Cheyenne Mountain was built, the United States Government bought the land from a number of different people including Jack's grandfather on his mother's side, who had inherited the 1000 acres from his grandfather who bought the property shortly before Colorado became a state. Over the years, the family had subdivided the property until all that was left was 100 acres, which was what Sam and Jack decided to build on.

The house would be a three story 12 bedroom ranch styled house with large living and dining rooms along with an office space or the both Jack and Sam connected by a rather large library including both of their collections of books. Each member of the O'Neill Clan would have their own suite in the house, designed for their own wants and needs including Bra'tac and Rya'c who would share a suite.

The house would have a six car garage, which would be include a complete auto shop where Jack and Sam could work on their collection of cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and Jack's vintage P-51 Mustang which he had been restoring for the last ten years.

Also in the house would be a workout room complete with weight machines, treadmills, and sparring ring. The back side of the house would include a large patio deck, built in pool with Jacuzzi spa, fire pit and the largest barbeque grill Jack had ever seen.

On the bottom floor of the house, next to the weight room, will be the meditation room. This room would be completely insulated to make the room very quiet and peaceful. Sam and Jack knew that this room would be used often by Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Jacob for their Kel'nor'eem.

To complete the house, there were also state of the art sensors all around the property including audio and video surveillance and a permanent dampening field to prevent any unauthorized people beaming into or out of the property. Add to that the panic room and biometric locks on the house and weapon storage cabinets, the house would be just as secure as the SGC.

They also planned on having a private a landing strip put in with a private hanger hidden behind the tree line so that it couldn't be seen from the house. Underneath the hanger would be a secret hanger where four F-302s and one F-305 were ready to go on a moment's notice.

"It's coming along well. Our plan is to celebrate Christmas in the house. Jack's old house is set to close escrow the end of the week." Sam said.

Teal'c, by saving most of the money he earned from his work with the SGC, bought Jack's old house as his own domicile until his new domicile could be built on a small portion of the O'Neill Homestead. Once it was built, Teal'c planned on selling Jack's old house to the Air Force, as per an agreement between Teal'c, Jack, and George Hammond.

The Air Force, after learning about the upgrades Jack had made to the house, decided to buy the house and turn it into VIP off base housing for the SGC. Jack's house was on the far side of Cheyenne Mountain from the new house and was somewhat isolated from everyone else. It had originally been part of the acreage that his family had once owned, but had been sold when NORAD had been built.

"That's good. Daniel and I finally decided on the design for ours. Can you believe he wanted a three story library in the middle of the house? We finally decided on a two story library and a large office for the three of us off the library." Janet said as they entered the infirmary.

Like Teal'c, Janet and Daniel were also building a house on the O'Neill Homestead. Their house was going to be built away from Jack and Sam's so that each household would have their privacy, but be close enough in case something happened. Like the O'Neill Ranch, each of the other homes and the hanger would have a complete set of security measures, which would then be tied into the SGC monitoring station.

"Anyway, let's see why in the hell you are not feeling well. I am betting that Daniel brought home a flu of some sort when he and Elizabeth went off-world a month ago. It was some sort of trade negotiation to do with naquadria mining rights. Anyway, since then we have both been…Oh god." Janet almost fell to the ground, scaring Sam to death.

"Janet!! What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I think we're both pregnant." Janet said.

Meanwhile Jack, Daniel, Cassie, Teal'c and Jacob were all sitting around the breakfast table discussing the two eldest women of Clan O'Neill.

_You know Sel, if I didn't know any better, I would say that Sam and Janet are pregnant._

_Yes, that could be it. I remember that when one of my host's daughters was mated, she displayed the same symptoms._

_Oh my god. How in the hell are we going to deal with this, Sel? Sam is my little girl and Janet is just as good as my daughter too. _

_I know Jacob. I know that your estrangement from Mark has left you scarred, but think about this, you will have two more grandchildren you can watch grow up and be involved with. I know that I enjoyed being both a grandfather and a grandmother thanks to various hosts._

_Be quiet Selmac._

"…I don't know what in hell I did, all I said was that she needed to see Janet because of her throwing up." Jack said.

Jacob knew it was time to reveal his suspicions. "Jack, Daniel…I think that there is something that you might not have considered."

"What did we miss Jacob?" Daniel asked.

"Ok. In order to have this discussion, I am going to ask you both some questions and while we are all adults, no matter how young," Jacob said looking at Cassie who blushed "I want you to know that I am just as…uncomfortable as you are." Jacob said.

"Oh my god!" Cassie cried.

"What?" Jack and Daniel said together.

"It is as I thought." Teal'c said.

"Ok boys, when a man loves a woman very much—" Jacob began in a patronizing voice.

"They're both pregnant!" Jack said.

"If mine and Selmac's assumptions are correct, then you are both going to be fathers and as Sam's father and Janet's acting father, I want you both understand that if either one of you hurt my girl's, no where in this galaxy will be safe for you to hide."

"Understood, Dad." Daniel said.

"Got it Pops." Jack said.

"Call Jacob Pops again and you'll see why the goa'uld fear me." Selmac said. "And by the way, Congratulations."

"Thank you Selmac. You too Jacob." Jack said.

"Jack, if the girls went to get checked out, then they are on base right now." Daniel said.

"You're right. Jacob, Teal'c, Cassie; what should we do? Should we bring chocolates, candies, roses, what?"

"Jack, you were married once and had a child, what did you do the first time?" Jacob asked.

"Spent the first three months of Sara's pregnancy in North Korea on a black bag mission. I was then home for two months before being shipped off to Iraq where I was captured and spent fourteen months as a POW. When I got home, I spent another four months in the Academy Hospital before I even thought about coming home." Jack said.

"Sorry Jack, I had no idea." Jacob said, looking abashed for bringing up bad memories.

"It's ok Jacob. I need to speak to someone about it and you know better than anyone except for maybe Teal'c what I went thru."

"Alrighty then, back to our first problem. I would recommend chocolate, blue jell-o, roses, chocolate covered cherries, and a weekend at a very good spa where they will be pampered. And while at home, become their personal slaves." Jacob said.

"Right let's go Danny boy."

"What do you mean we might be pregnant!?" Sam screamed. "I thought it was impossible for me to become pregnant because of Jolinar?"

"Jack's healing abilities can also probably be spread thru…other parts of his anatomy as well." Janet laughed.

Doctor Brightman, who was the doctor on duty, spoke to Janet. "Doctor Frasier, I have both of your blood work back. Normally I would speak to you both separately, but I think that you both would like to hear the news. You are both pregnant."

Janet looked at the other doctor in shock "How far along am I?"

"You and Colonel Carter are approximately fifteen weeks along. In fact, I would say that the two of you became pregnant at almost the exact same time."

"D'oh!" Both of the girls said at the same time.

After accepting the fact that they were both pregnant, Sam and Janet began to talk about the fact that they were both going to be going thru their pregnancies together as well as sharing a double wedding. Just as they were working on the guest list, their fiancées came barreling into the room.

"Hey boys what's up?" Janet asked.

"Ah…we wanted to see you and…" Daniel said looking at Jack for help.

"We wanted to apologize for whatever we did to piss you off and say that we love you and the little ones that you are carrying." Jack said as he held out his two dozen red roses and box of chocolates to Sam. Daniel, who saw what Jack did, showed off his box chocolate covered cherries and his two dozen white roses for Janet.

"How did you guys know? We just found out an hour ago." Sam said.

"Dad figured it out this morning. Or was it Selmac? I really don't know. Anyway one of them figured it out, and then Cassie figured it out. I think Teal'c already knew. You know how he is though; nothing fazes him, just his normal 'Indeed' and nod of the head. It really does drive me crazy that nothing fazes him." Jack said.

"And then we realized that we screwed up somehow and decided that we need to apologize." Daniel said.

"Which reminds me, you two are taking off this weekend to the Mountain Springs Spa and Resort for a weekend of pampering. Cassie is going with you." Jack said.

Both of the Lieutenant Colonels smiled at their men and kissed them both rather passionately. Dr. Brightman, who had been watching the two couples, stepped out of the exam area and reached for the phone.

"Sergeant Harriman, this is Doctor Brightman. I understand that you are still the resident SGC bookie."

"_Yes ma'am. What can I do for you?"_ Walter Harriman asked.

"I would like to inform you that two outcomes you are wagering on have happened."

"_Which two ma'am?"_

"Doctor Frasier and Colonel Carter are both pregnant, approximately fifteen weeks along."

There was dead silence on the phone before Brightman heard Walter thumbing thru his betting book.

"_Well I'll be damned. General Hammond wins again."_ Walter mumbled absentmindedly.

"Excuse me?"

"_Major General George W. Hammond bets that Samantha Grace Carter and Janet Suzanne Frasier will become pregnant within two days of each other. Dated March 11 of last year…Wow he bet a lot of money on this."_

"Thank you Sergeant Harriman. Oh and by the way, I would like to place a bet on the sexes and names of the babies. The O'Neills will have a baby girl named Grace and the Jacksons will have a son named Daniel Junior. I'll place two hundred dollars on each bet."

"_Both bets are recorded. I'll send Siler by later to pick up your bets. I need to go ma'am, SG-7 is due to return in five minutes."_

"Thank you Sergeant. Make sure to remind SG-7 that I am on duty and that I am not happy with them since they forgot to clean their feet before they entered the infirmary."

"_Yes, ma'am"_ Walter said chuckling at what SG-7 was going to be dealing with.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel, Janet, Major Longo, Colonel Reynolds, General West of Area-51, General Hammond, and Thor were all sitting around the conference table in the briefing room of the SGC for their monthly briefing. These briefings were Jack's idea, giving everyone a chance to discuss many different items that affected all of the different bases and programs. This also gave George a chance to ask questions about the reports he would receive from each of these programs and commands.

"Alright Daniel, as the resident Alterran Geek, you may go first." Jack said, laughing at his friend.

"Thanks Jack. As we all know, I have thirty six people working on the Alterran database plus three more Asgard. Team Delta, which is working on extracting all of the information for Sam's R&D teams, learned more about what was powered by ZPMs."

"And what did you find out Daniel?" Sam asked, being very excited.

"It seems that all of the larger Alterran technology uses ZPMs as their power sources. According to the database, there were eight outposts spread throughout the galaxy. Each one ran off of a single ZPM, though many of these outposts also were equipped to use Geo-Thermal energy to help extend the life of the ZPM, but the control chairs and the weapons to go along with it require a ZPM."

"Do we have any idea on where these outposts are?" George asked.

"After doing some more digging, we've learned where they are located." Daniel said, turning on the holographic display in the center of the table, a gift from the Tollans. There were similar units being installed in various other locations to allow instant communication.

"Out of the eight outposts in the galaxy, we have found five of their planets' addresses in the database; I want to cross reference them with the SGC database to see if any of them have been used by the Goa'uld." Daniel said.

"I do not believe so Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said. "If these outposts contained a Chappa'ai, then the goa'uld would have learned their secrets."

"Normally I agree with you Teal'c, but from what we have learned, only the outpost in Antarctica had a stargate located inside of it. In fact the Antarctic outpost was not in this database. We found it listed somewhere, I have no idea why. These five outposts are said to be hidden and only accessible to Alterrans, or those of their blood." Daniel said.

"Perhaps it is because of the stargate? General West volunteered.

"Possibly. From what we have determined, the Earth Outpost was like a transportation complex complete with an Alterran version of hotel rooms." Daniel said.

"Reynolds, I want five SG-Teams to check out these gate locations and see if they can find the outposts and check the viability of setting up permanent bases in the outposts." Jack ordered.

"Yes sir. Do you care which teams?" Reynolds asked.

"No, just make sure that there are at least two people on each team with the ATA gene. Also, have Walter check the addresses with our database." Jack said.

"Sir. May I suggest contacting Bra'tac and General Carter about any information they may have as well?" Reynolds said, looking over at Teal'c who nodded his approval.

"Good point. Normally both of them would be here today, but I understand that Teal'c's latest recruits are engaged in a live fire drill with Dad playing Ra and Bra'tac his First Prime."

"That is correct O'Neill. Both men seem to enjoy the role-play." Teal'c said.

"Well, we'll get back to that in a little bit. Daniel, what about the other three bases?" Jack said, bringing the meeting back onto topic.

"Of course; the other outposts have addresses, but the database also said that the gate on each planet was moved. It does not say why, though I know for a fact that Proclarush Taonas is one of them."

"Sir these planets, or moons, could have become inhospitable for some reason, so the Alterrans decided to simply move the gate to another planet. Regardless, I think that it a mission to check out these planets would be a great shakedown cruise for both the Daedalus and the refitted Prometheus." Sam said.

"General West, what do you think? Are both ships ready for space travel?" Jack asked the General. General Steven West was a Brigadier General, just like Jack, and the son of Lieutenant General West, the Commanding Officer of the first stargate mission to Abydos. Unlike his father, Steven listened to the scientists, being one himself with two PhDs in Aeronautical Physics and Mechanical Engineering, and was the perfect choice to oversee Area-51 and the X-3 Projects that included the F-302s, 305s, X-303 and the X-304 ships.

"I think it is a great idea sir. Prometheus' refit is complete and the Daedalus is currently going thru trials on the far side of Saturn using an Asgard Cloaking Device so that no one with a telescope can see her." West said.

"General West, why don't you give us your report, since we are talking about your babies" Hammond said.

"Of course Sir; first off we have finished the top to bottom cleaning out of anyone with ties to the Trust and the old NID. We have turned over fifty-three people for questioning to Director Barrett and the new NID."

"I have already spoken to Director Barrett, he is in the process of organizing his new agency, but assures me that everyone we turn over to him are being held and cannot escape." Hammond said.

In the reorganizing of the SGC, President Hayes also shutdown the NID and appointed Agent Barrett as the Director of a new Agency that would work closely with Homeworld Security and the FBI.

"General West, why have the Tau'ri decided to build Daedalus Class Battle Cruisers and not Prometheus Class Battle Cruisers?" Teal'c asked.

"That is an excellent question Teal'c and the answer is quite simple. Our technology has evolved. When we built the Prometheus, it based on human ingenuity and Goa'uld technologies we acquired over the years. They never really did work well together, in fact Prometheus spent more time in dry dock than it did in space because of the compatibility issues.

"When the Asgard their hyperdrive and shield technologies, we learned that the Prometheus was, quite simply, incapable of using these technologies to their fullest because of design flaws. Her hull cannot take the stress of high speed hyperspace travel. She can only travel about one-third as fast as _The O'Neill II_ plus the structural integrity of ship is compromised when she tries to engage in sort of high speed sublight maneuvering.

"The Prometheus is still a good ship. She is better suited for use as a transport ship or as a supply ship. Anything that does not require her to do any high speed maneuvers. Her life expectancy is thirty to forty years.

"Now take the X-304 Ships, better known as the Daedalus Class of Battle Cruisers; first off they are designed from the ground up with integrated system based on Earth, Goa'uld, Tollan, Alterran, and Asgard technologies. Besides two full wings of F-302 fighters and twelve F-305 cargo ships, the X-304s have the latest Asgard shields and hyperdrive systems, Tollan and earth based computers, Asgard beaming technology and the Alterran ring transport system, plus Alterran and Asgard weapons systems.

"The ship is being powered by two ZPMs with an Asgard fusion reactor for secondary systems and as primary backup, giving the ship incredibly strong shields and weapons as well as making it one of the of the fastest ships in hyperspace. Dr. Jackson's team found the power distribution system schematics in the database. After consulting with Colonel Carter, we installed the ZPMs and the results are impressive.

"Thor and Freya have calculated has that the Daedalus could make the trip form Earth to the Asgard homeworld in just over four days while an Asgard ship like _The O'Neill II,_ could do it seven days if all available power was routed to the engines. The main energy beam weapon vaporized an asteroid the size of Texas in a test a few days ago."

"Thanks Steve. Teal'c what have you got?" Jack said, getting bored with this meeting.

"Out of the sixty recruits who embarked on their training program, twenty-nine remain. Out of these twenty-nine, I believe only five will fail their training. Sergeants Harriman and Siler have already completed their required one week training program and I am most pleased with their work ethic. SG-5 is scheduled to undergo their training next week." Teal'c finished.

"Are you having any trouble with any of your off-world training facilities?" Jack asked.

"Our shooting range on PX3-119 is running low on ammunition and I was informed that they are having problems with their naquada generator. Sergeant Siler sent a technician this morning to fix the generator."

"Have Walter send a FRED with all the ammunition you need. I approved the requisition this morning when I met with Jack. Though Jack did up the amount of ammo you requested." Hammond said.

"Indeed." Teal'c said.

"Sam, what is new from your department?" Jack asked.

"With the new information about the outposts and with the number of new ships that will be rolling out of the factory over the next thirty-six months, I would like to establish an off-world site to build ZPMs." Sam said.

"Why?" General West asked.

"Because the construction of a single ZPM is very dangerous; trying to construct multiple ZPMs at the same time could be disastrous if anything happened." Sam responded.

"Colonel Carter is correct. So far, the three ZPMs we have constructed have been done one at a time. In order to facilitate this project, Freya and two of our top scientists have agreed to work with your engineers and scientists to build the facility and the construction of the ZPMs."

"Any ideas on where this facility is going to be?" Jack asked to both Thor and Sam.

"Mars" Sam said.

"Why?" Jack, Daniel, George, and General West said at the same time.

"Because we can." Sam retorted, looking directly at Jack. "Actually because Mars has all the minerals and gases needed already there. Also that is why the Alterrans originally built the ZPMs, Thor found the facility buried two kilometers underneath the northern pole of the planet."

"I have no problems with it, providing that the Asgard keep a ship in orbit in case of an emergency." Jack said.

"I have no problems either. I'll discuss it with the President and the Joint Chiefs, but for right now your team has a go. Who are you going to have run the facility?"

"Since I assume I can't because of the pregnancy I was thinking about Captain Hailey." Sam said.

"Isn't she your apprentice?" Jack asked.

"She is not my apprentice! She is just…a kindred spirit is all. We have a lot in common." Sam said quietly.

"It's alright Colonel. General O'Neill found out this morning that his clone has been accepted to the Air Force Academy." George said chuckling.

"I know she and Jon have been dating for a few months, despite the fact that she is older than he is." Sam said.

"Alright I give, I am sorry for the joke Colonel." Jack said.

"Accepted. Now I do have something else I have been working on in my spare time. If I am right, it may explain how the Alterrans returned to Earth after Atlantis left." Sam said.

"Well, go on Sam." Jack said, smiling at his fiancée.

"I am currently working on a theory that Daniel and I have come up with regarding the stargates and how they work. As we know, each stargate had nine chevrons on them. Seven chevrons are used to dial a stargate normally: six for the location in space and one for the starting point, in our case Earth. However when General O'Neill had been under the influence of the first Ancient Database, he had dialed the Asgard Homeworld. Not only did he reprogram the dialing computer, which I still have no idea how he did that, to use an eighth chevron; he also supplied the gate with additional power. It was later discovered that the power used to dial the Asgard was one-hundred times the power the United States used in a year. I believe that only a ZPM can be used to dial another galaxy repeatedly."

"Thor how many stargates do you have?" Colonel Reynolds asked.

"We are in possession of only one Colonel Reynolds. We do know that when Atlantis left Earth, they took a stargate with them. There are only three known stargates that can dial another Galaxy: The stargate from the Alterran Outpost in Antarctica, Ours on our homeworld, and the one on Atlantis. This is because of the control crystals in the stargate as well as the control crystal in the DHD. When O'Neill dialed us for help when he had the first database, he rewrote your computer system to include the commands that the DHD crystal would have possessed." Thor stated.

"So we know where Atlantis is then?" Jack asked.

"Not exactly. One of the things I know is that all of the gates dial out once in a while and connect to each other. It is basically a program update." Sam said.

"Of course! Because of the gravitational pull, planets, stars, moons, hell the entire galaxy continues to move, thereby meaning that gate address from 100,000 years ago might not be the same address as it is now." General West said.

"Exactly. From what I can tell, the gates dial out to each other every thousand years, they do not establish a normal wormhole, but some sort of a subspace link that does the updating.

"We think it is possible to use this link and map out all of the locations of the gates. If we're right, then we can find out where Atlantis is, or at least the gate." Sam said.

"Ok, what about planets that have multiple gates or what about ships that have gates on them?" Daniel asked.

"For the first time, we'll link all of them so that all the gates have the same programming. Once that is done, I can use the information and find out which gate is on what planet because each gate has a unique identification number that it transmits during this linking. I have database of the last time the Alterrans ran this update and where the gates were at that time." Sam said.

"How soon can you do this update?" Jack asked.

"A couple of days at most; I still have a few more simulations I want to run first, sir."

"I'll inform the President." George said.

"Alrighty then, Joe, what else is new in Antarctica?" Ack asked the Major.

"Nothing much sir. Major Sheppard is a natural in regards to the ATA Gene and spends most of his in the chair. Dr. Beckett has been working with Doctor Frasier on the gene therapy and it is now 98% effective, this is allowing us to power up more and more of the outpost. So far we believe we have everything mapped out and are slowly powering up systems, learning as we go. Though I do request that Dr. McKay be reassigned to somewhere else; his attitude is going to get him in trouble with a number of people, including myself."

"Request denied Major." Sam said. "Rodney stays there because I do not want him anywhere near the ZPMs, the Asgard, or anything else that might blow up." Sam said.

Not to be deterred, Major Longo turned to General Hammond. "General—"

"Do not think about going over Colonel Carter's head, Major. She and Dr. Jackson are in charge of their respective teams there. However, I do believe that Dr. McKay and I need to have a long overdue chat." George said.

"Of course sir." Longo responded.

"Good. Jack how is the SGC holding up?" George said.

"Everything here is fine. The teams are exploring and reporting that more and more of the snakes are being defeated and many of the Jaffa is joining Bra'tac and Teal'c's rebellion. At this rate, I think I'll be able to spend a few weeks up at the cabin." Jack said.

"Alright Jack, we'll see. Doctor Frasier, what do you have to report?" George asked.

"Well I have made contact with a number of pharmaceutical and medical companies and have begun to slowly pass out some of the Alterran knowledge about healing. I would say that by the end of the decade, AIDS, SARS, and Cancer will be eradicated.

"As for on base, with Colonel Carter and I just over six months pregnant, I have officially banned the both of us from off-world activities and General O'Neill has pulled SG-1 out of the gate travel rotation, which with the amount of work they have on their plates I agree with.

"I have assigned Doctor Brightman as the on-call off-world doctor. Because of the amount of time she will be spending off-world, I have appointed Dr. Lam as my Second in Command of the Infirmary. She came highly recommended by Major General Landry and so far has taken everything I have thrown at her, including pregnant woman mood swings." Janet finished.

"Of course Hand would recommend her, Carolyn Lam is General Landry's daughter, though from what I understand they haven't spoken in quite some time." Hammond said.

"Oh a different note; Janet, Samantha, how are you two doing?"

"We're fine sir. It really wasn't an inconvenience for either one of us to not go thru the gate. Between planning the wedding, our additional responsibilities as part of the SGC Command Staff, making time for the family, and a few trips to the Alterran Outpost, we really haven't got the time to worry about not going thru the gate." Janet said.

"Besides, if something major comes up, we can still go. According to our allies, there are no side effects to gate travel for a pregnant woman or her fetus except for a little nausea, but we both get that when think too hard so I see my problems." Sam said.

"Thor? Do you have anything to add to this meeting?" Jack asked.

"Only that I have been contacted by the Nox. They have called for a meeting of the Great Races."

"You think that Jack and Sam should go." Daniel stated.

"Yes. Along with you as a former ascended being" Thor said.

"What about the Jaffa Nation and the Tok'ra?" Teal'c asked.

"The Jaffa Nation and the Tok'ra are not recognized by the Council, yet. However, as the Asgard Representative to the Great Council, I would be honored if you, Master Bra'tac, and General Carter would accompany us and represent your people."

"We are honored Thor." Teal'c said.

Jack looked over to General Hammond "Sir?"

"Of course you can go Jack. One of the things Oma explained to President Hayes and myself is that you and Colonel Carter are the first, and to be honest the most important, of the next evolution of humanity. Because of that, you should go on any matters regarding the Five Races." George said. "Thor when is the meeting?"

"In one of your earth month's" Thor said.

"Very well. Keep me posted Jack."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Sam POV:

"Computer: Begin recording of personal log. Audio and Video. Name: Samantha Grace Carter. Authorization: Carter-Omega 4431-Tango Epsilon." I say as I entered the room.

"Voice print authorized. Welcome Samantha, would you like to record a new log?" The computer terminal asked.

"Yes please Alice."

"Begin when ready."

"Thank you." I say as I sit down in my chair. I am glad that Steve's team got the AI up and running, it makes things so much easier for me.

"Personal Log: Here I am, seven and half months pregnant and I am heading to a meeting with the remaining members of the Council of Four. Having met the Nox and the Furlings only a few times before, I have no idea what to expect. Thor informed us that everyone will be speaking in what he called a 'Common' tongue which is English. I have no idea why English is the common tongue, but I have no problems with this fact because it means that I don't need Daniel translating for me. Or for Jack for that matter.

"So here I sit in mine and Jack's quarters on the Daedalus trying to finish a number of reports before I leave for some well deserved time off for the wedding. So let me recap what has happened since our last meeting with all branches of Homeworld Security:

"Well the President and the Joint Chiefs approved the Martian Base that I had proposed. Sif, who come to find out is Thor's wife, took _The Daniel Jackson_ and Captain Hailey to Mars to power up the complex. Come to find out that there were thirty fully powered ZPMs in some sort of cold storage there.

"Now to diverge for a moment, according to Sif, she and Thor have been married for ten thousand years and have two children. In fact they are two of the last Asgard who had children. Granted they were grown in test tubes, but I still find it interesting. Sif and I have spent a lot of time together in the last month. I think Jack and Thor conspired against us for some reason. Not that I hate Sif, I love her, I really do, but since Jack and Thor are so close, I think this is their way of making sure there is never a third wheel.

"Anyway, but to complex and the amazing discoveries that Hailey and Sif found there. After making sure the complex was secured, they installed one of the ZPMs and powered up the equipment. They learned that the entire complex was fully automated. Which Jack said was _'Sweet!' _I think it was because he didn't have to worry about anyone being stuck there, not that I can blame him. Anyway, after conferencing me and Daniel in on Earth, we discovered that the complex received signals to create and deliver ZPMs via a subspace signal from any of the outposts or from Atlantis.

"Daniel was so excited to learn that Atlantis did exist and that it did indeed leave Earth. Anyway, according to the logs at the complex, Atlantis ordered six ZPMs over one-hundred thousand years ago. The logs of the automated drones that delivered the completed ZPMs showed that the drones traveled across the galaxy, delivering the new ZPMs along the way, and then returning to Mars. The complex received two more transmissions, but they were both orders not to supply Atlantis any further, this was about fifty thousand years ago according our best guess.

"At some point after that, the ZPM that powered the complex failed, shutting down the automated systems. Now with the new ZPM, the complex is trying to make contact with the outposts it's had serviced at one time.

"Which brings us to the next thing that has happened since the HWS meeting; Jack sent SG-Teams to the five planets that had gates and outposts. He did it after checking with everyone. According to Dad, one of the planets was a paradise that had no natural resources. Selmac had spent a few years there with one of her hosts when she was young. As far as she knew, no one had ever been back.

"Anyway, out of the five addresses, only four of them were able to establish a wormhole. SG-12 and SG-9 both found their outposts and said that except for some serious landscape work on the outside, the outposts were in good shape. Luckily both outposts used Geo-Thermal energy to power secondary systems and they were able to connect with the Martial station which deployed ZPMs. Both outposts are now manned.

"The other two planets with Stargates found planets with no atmosphere whatsoever. Daniel, Teal'c and I believe that the goa'uld destroyed these planets for some reason. Both MALPs found the remains of the outposts' outer walls, destroyed Eons ago.

"So with four of the eight outposts' fates discovered, Jack requested Daedalus and Prometheus to check out the other three. Their first stop was Proclarush Taonas which is where we found the first ZPM. As I thought, the outpost had been destroyed by the molten lava. The fleet's next stop and yes I am calling two ships a fleet because that is what they are: A Fleet. Granted there are only two ships in this fleet, but that doesn't matter, they're a fleet.

"Anyway, the fleet went to the next planet, at this point I really don't know or care to remember the names of these planets, but I digress…The fleet found one of the outposts in perfect condition once again. After using a naquada generator to power the secondary systems, the Martian Complex deployed a drone. I should also add that these little drones carry miniature hyperdrives and are very advanced.

"Anyway, the other three planets were destroyed, one of them being destroyed by me when I exploded that star a few years ago. So there you have it, three working off-world outposts. The third planet, PX6-113 I think, anyway, it now has a stargate. The Tollans gave us an old stargate they had discovered on some distant moon. It had been buried for Eons and they had no need for it.

"Which leads me to the 'System Wide Calibration'; well that is what Jack calls it and for once his simple answer is accurate. Anyway, the 'System Wide Calibration' worked perfectly. There are over 7,000 stargates, according to the information I got from our gate and that there are about one-thousand that either buried or have been destroyed. Come to find out only our gate, which is the oldest, is able to start this 'System Wide Calibration' program.

"Anyway, I plan on proposing that one of the future cruisers be dispatched to the last known location of the missing gates to determine what happened to them. As the Fifth Race, I will it our duty to make sure the damn things keep working.

"As to my personal life, well, I am seven and half months pregnant and getting married in three weeks, provided nothing happens. Officially for Jack and me it will only be to formalize and legitimize our many off-world marriages. Janet and Daniel were married last week on PB3-490 which is where we got married once too.

"We decided on having a double wedding. Jack and I are Daniel's and Janet's best man and maid of honor, or is it matron? I'll stick with maid of honor for the moment, it's easier. Anyway, then they are doing the same for us. Dad and Uncle George are giving me and Janet away. Out of the four if us, I am the only person to have a parent left. Daniel's of course died when he was a little, Janet lost both parents in a car accident a few years ago, and Jack just lost his mother a few months ago; his dad died when he was 14.

"Mary Elizabeth O'Neill was really funny when I met her. At 82 years old, she was still sharp as a tack. John, Jack's dad, and her had Jack when they were much older than most people. Jack gets his sense of humor from her. Mary has been living in her Chicago home now for fifty years and informed me that Jack was getting everything when she passed. She told me that Sara never made Jack happy, but I did.

"It's strange, but I don't know why I am sad about that fact. Anyway, Mary died in her sleep, brain aneurism. She never felt a thing. The police said that had a smile on face and was holding a photo of Jack and me in our dress blues from the Air Force Ball last year.

"So back to the wedding. We are getting married at the house. I don't know how much money Jack had to pay to the builders, but they guaranteed that both of the houses would be done by the end of the week, including furniture. Dave Dixon volunteered to handle moving all of stuff into both houses. Knowing Dave, he'll be using the Asgard Transporter a lot.

"It's strange; I learned that Jack and Dave have known each other for almost thirty years. I always thought that Daniel was Jack's first real friend. I know that isn't true, but Jack never hangs out with Dave while off duty. Maybe it is because Dave and Carol, his wife, have five kids. For all I know, we may spend more time with them once we have the baby, which by the way is a baby girl. During my pre-mission physical Janet did an ultrasound and confirmed what Sif told me earlier—"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door to my room.

"Computer: Pause recording please." I say. "Enter!" I say to the door.

The door opens and Thor enters. After Janet and I became pregnant, Thor and Sif asked if they could extract a small amount of genetic material from both us as well as some of embolic fluid. They said it could be the key to their race surviving.

Well wouldn't you know that they found a cure for their genetic degradation? Janet understands it better than I do, but basically the combined DNA of our children has enabled them to survive. Thor and Sif say it will take a few generations of clones, but eventually the Asgard will become a healthy race once again.

Thor already has gotten one of the first new bodies and boy is it different. Thor stands a little over five feet tall and actually has some muscle on his arms and legs. His skin is no longer the sickly gray that I have always associated with him and now has short blond hair and his black eyes. Overall he looks almost human, which according to Thor is how they looked Eons ago before they began their cloning experiments.

What is really scary is that Thor is now wearing clothes. Though he is wearing robes at the moment, I have seen him wear blue jeans and other modern clothes around the SGC and the outpost.

"Colonel Carter, I am sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if you had a moment." Thor asks.

"Of course, Thor. Would you like anything to drink?" I ask, reactivating my personal log for audio record only. Somehow I have a feeling that Thor may need it later.

"Orange or apple juice if you have it." The Asgard stay away from alcohol and Thor avoids carbonated drinks since that incident at the outpost.

"Sure." I say as I pour both us a large glass of orange juice each.

"Colonel Carter, what is it like to watch a loved one die?" Thor asks me.

"Excuse me?"

"Sif and I have realized that sooner or later, we are going to die. There is no longer anyway we can continue to clone ourselves, our race almost died out because of ignorance. Sif has told me that she wishes to not be placed in another body, but live out her life in this one." Thor says.

"How does it make you feel?" I ask.

"I am unsure. We have been together a long time, but we have also spent much time apart due to our duties. As the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet, I am often away from her and our home. When I am home, she is often working on a project and does not come home. I feel that now that we know that we are not going to live forever, that we should do something."

"Thor, you and Sif need to sit down and have a discussion. I understand her wanting to die, I really do. If I lived as long as you both have, I would eventually want to give up, but Jack would not let me because he loves me too much to let me go. He would break every rule there was in order to save me, even give his own life to save mine."

"I think I understand. Colonel Carter, do you believe that we Asgard can ascend?" Thor asked.

"That one I have no idea about. You would have to ask Daniel about it, he is the expert on ascension. Why, are you thinking about seeing if you and Sif can ascend?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I believe that I love her. She is my wife, unfortunately we Asgard have forgotten our emotions and we must relearn them. However, from what the way you described the love you have for O'Neill, I believe I love my wife the same way because there is nothing I would not do to save her. I have enjoyed our quiet time we have spent on Earth over the last few weeks. We have walked on the beach. Talked all night long about nothing and then wake up in the morning with her in my arms. I cannot describe it, except for love."

By now I am crying, Thor is a closet romantic, just like Jack. I stop recording the log and quickly edit and give Thor a copy of it.

"Give this to Sif to listen to; speaking as a woman who is madly in love with her husband, what you just said will explain a lot of things to your wife."

"Thank you Colonel Carter."

"Hey Thor, when we are alone like this, how about you call me 'Sam'?" I say.

"Very well Colo…Samantha Carter, I shall try. Thank you." Thor tells me.

"It's a start my friend, and you are very welcome." And with that Thor leaves.

I close my eyes for what I thought was a moment, only to find Jack standing over me. I look over at the clock and see that forty minutes has passed.

"Did you talk to Thor?" He asks.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because whatever you said to Thor seemed to have worked. They are both holding hands and discussing ascension with Daniel and Janet." Jack said laughing a little.

"Did you know that your little friend is a closet romantic like you?" I ask, standing up from my chair and wrapping arms around Jack's neck.

"Thor? Really? Who would have thought?" He is smirking, he is up to something!

"Yes really. What did you have to do with this?" I ask.

"Thor and I were talking about Sif and their life together a while ago I decided that they needed a little help. So when Sif came to Earth I setup the two of you, which got you and Thor talking, which got them talking to each other again; not just about work but about them."

"You're evil, you know that?" I say.

"That is why you love me Samantha." He says as he kisses me.

"One of many reasons why I love you Jonathan." I say as I kiss him back. We have eight hours till we are supposed to arrive, plenty of time to show Jack how much I love him.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

_**Six Weeks Later **_

The Daedalus had just arrived at the planet where the Great Council would meet at. Though it wasn't really necessary, the Prometheus had arrived two days before and was doing thorough sensor scans of the area. Jack had agreed with Hammond that this would be too good a chance for a goa'uld or someone worse to pass up.

The planet itself was P6X-881 was barren world with the meeting hall and adjacent chambers the only structures on the planet. The Stargate, which was inactive, was incased in a Naquada tomb that only an Alterran could open, hence the need for the Daedalus.

Upon securing the area, SG-3, led by Colonel Dixon and charged with the safety of SG-1 and Thor, informed the Daedalus that it was clear for Jack and Sam to beam down. The complex was completely sealed so that the toxic atmosphere from the planet could not penetrate. The complex was powered by geothermal energy with a ZPM as a backup energy source.

Sending Daniel, Teal'c and a few technicians from the Daedalus to install the new ZPM, Jack and Sam made their way to the gate room with Thor. The room itself about the same size as the gate room at the SGC but at the far end was the tomb. Finding the control panel for the tomb, Jack and Sam activated the controls and watched as the one side of the Naquada Tomb fell away, turning it into a ramp for easy access to and from the gate. A second, smaller tomb, also split open, revealing the DHD.

'_Jack this gate has some sort of a shield, similar to our iris to prevent unwelcome visitors.'_ Sam said thru her link to Jack.

"Hey Thor, how would the Nox or the Furling know it was safe to come thru the gate?" Jack asked.

"By informing them first" Thor replied.

"Oh. Aright, Sam you got the radio with you?" Jack asked his wife.

"Yeah, I'll dial the Nox first." Sam said. Once the wormhole was established she tried to make radio contact.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha O'Neill. We have arrived at the Council Chambers and are awaiting your arrival."

"_Colonel O'Neill, this is the Nox. We have received your message and will arrive after we have informed the Furlings."_

"We look forward to seeing you soon." Sam replied before she shut down the stargate

Three hours later, representatives of the Nox, Asgard, Furlings, Tau'ri, Tok'ra and Jaffa were sitting at the council table.

"So we let me get this straight, the Nox, the Furlings, and the Asgard officially recognize the Tau'ri as the descendants of the Alterrans and give us a seat on this council as the Fifth Race." Jack said.

"That is correct O'Neill. Also we welcome the Tok'ra, represented by Selmac and her host Jacob Carter, and the Free Jaffa Nation represented by Master Bra'tac and Teal'c as secondary members of this council." Thor said.

"We also call for Jack and Samantha O'Neill, as the soul bonded Alterran descendants, to chair and lead this council." One of the Nox said.

'_What do you think Sam?'_ Jack asked his wife.

'_If I'm right, we are some sort of prophesized couple, I say we go for it. Of course General Hammond and the President may not like this'_ Sam replied.

'_Alright, I'll deal with them later.' _Jack said

"Very well, my wife and I agree to lead this council." Jack said. "The first order of business is to defeat the goa'uld once and for all. With Anubis gone as well as many of the System Lords, the only major Goa'uld player left is Ba'al. Jacob, if you would."

"From what we know, Ba'al has taken control of what is left of the former System Lords' powerbase, including many ships and over 20,000 Jaffa. However, unlike many other goa'uld Ba'al is sometimes flippant about his status as a god. Ba'al is ruthless and we know was Anubis' right hand and probably has access to much of the Alterran Technology that Anubis had been using thanks to him being a partially ascended being." Jacob stated.

"What would you like us to do?" one of the Nox said, looking very nervous.

"Nothing. According to the ancient laws of the goa'uld, any System Lord, or the equivalent, can challenge another System Lord to a duel for control of their domains. I plan on invoking the ancient rite and kill Ba'al once and for all." Jack said.

"You plan on killing Ba'al?"

"Yes."

"We cannot condone the death of any sentient being. Even a goa'uld" The Nox said.

"Then get the hell out of here!" Jack said angrily. After calming down some, he spoke in hard voice. "I am going to make this very clear to everyone so listen up. I am going to kill Ba'al, then I am going to enjoy some time with my wife and my child before we bring peace to this galaxy for a very long time. If the bad guys need to die, then so be it. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to make contact with Ba'al and lay down the challenge." Without a backwards glance, Jack and Teal'c left the council chamber.

A moment later, everyone heard the telltale sound of an Asgard Transport Beam taking the two men away.

"Oma Desala and the Ascended Alterrans must have lost their minds. The Tau'ri are not ready to be the Fifth Race." The Nox said. "They just want to replace the goa'uld control of the galaxy with the Tau'ri."

"That is not true!" Jacob said, standing up. "Jack O'Neill is one of the most honorable men that have ever lived. He would die before letting harm come to innocents. Just because you all have forgotten the purpose of this council is not his fault. Yes, I know the reason why this council was created. Thor was kind enough to inform us of the reasons why this council was created in the first place.

"Ba'al is the single largest threat to this galaxy since the goa'uld first came to power. He not only has what remains of Anubis' technology and notes, but also the cunning to do anything he really wants if he puts he mind to it.

"As the representative of the Tok'ra and as Jack's father-in-law, I plan on standing beside him when he battles Ba'al and then help him bring peace to the galaxy. If you don't want to be a part of it, then by all means go back to your planets and wait." With that Jacob, Bra'tac, Rya'c Sam, Janet, and Daniel all left the room. Only Thor remained. After the doors were closed, Thor turned to the others.

"O'Neill and Jacob Carter are correct. For too long we have let the children of the Alterrans suffer at the hands of the Goa'uld. The purpose of this council was to protect all sentient life forms in this galaxy and nurture them. We have failed, just as Jacob Carter showed us.

"As stated in the Alterran prophecy, under O'Neill leadership and guidance, we will bring peace to this galaxy for a thousand generations. Our races are honor bound to help him in this task, if that means defeating the goa'uld Ba'al, then so be it."

"O'Neill, is this wise?" Teal'c asked Jack as they walked to the bridge of the Daedalus.

"Probably not Teal'c, but with Grace and DJ only days from being born, I am going to make sure that they both grow up knowing what freedom is." Jack said.

Teal'c gave Jack a hard stare for a moment. Jack stopped and turned to his Jaffa friend. "Teal'c, if you had the chance to ensure that Rya'c could have grown up without Apophis or any of the other goa'uld demanding that they are worshipped as a god, would you have done it?"

"Of course O'Neill."

"It is the same thing for me. Once Ba'al is dealt with, then we are in good shape. No more big bad Goa'ulds trying to enslave everyone, no more weird aliens, just peace and quiet. Isn't this what we have been fighting for?"

"You're right, Jack O'Neill. It is worth fighting for." Selmac said as he approached the other two men. "It has been worth fighting for since the Tok'ra first began this fight. Jacob and I stand with you in this fight."

"Thank you Selmac, you too dad" Jack said.

"General O'Neill, Thor has contacted us from the surface; he said that when you have a time and date, the remaining members of the Great Council will stand beside you." Colonel Caldwell, the Daedalus' Commanding Officer said from his command chair after watching the entire exchange.

"Thank you Colonel. I need your communications officer to send out a message for me. Address it to Ba'al." Jack said.

"What do you want the message to say?" The communication officer said.

"Tell Ba'al that Brigadier General Jonathan Patrick O'Neill is challenging him to a duel to the death, in accordance with the ancient laws." Jack said.

"Aye, sir" The communications officer said.

Less than five minutes later, a hologram of Ba'al appeared on the bridge where everyone was standing.

"Brigadier General Jonathan Patrick O'Neill. When did you become the leader of the Tau'ri?" Ba'al asked.

"He did not, however he is the leader of the Great Council and therefore by the Ancient Laws of the Goa'uld, he may challenge you to a far and clean duel to the death." Thor said, having arrived moments before.

"The great council has been reformed then?" Ba'al asked.

"Indeed." Teal'c said.

"Very well. I accept your challenge. As the one being challenged, I call for a neutral site for the duel." Ba'al.

Thor spoke loudly. "The Furlings, Nox, and Asgard were entrusted with the location of a neutral planet by the Alterrans before they left their homeworld. It has no stargate and has been visited by no one in over fifty thousand years. Will this meet with your approval Lord Ba'al?"

"Very well" Ba'al said.

"Then it is settled. Here are the rules regarding the duel. Lord Ba'al, an Asgard ship will meet you in two days at the former location of the planet Abydos and escort a single ship to the duel. Beyond the single ship, which may be any size or type of ship you wish, there are to be no other ships at Abydos and there can be no other ships following you. Asgard ships will be patrolling the space around the planet with orders to destroy any ships, whether they are of goa'uld, Tau'ri, or other species origin.

"Brigadier General O'Neill, you too will be bound to the same rules regarding ships. Which ship will serve as your flagship?"

"The Daedalus will serve as my flagship, the Earth Cruiser Prometheus will travel to a location determined by the Council to wait."

"That is acceptable. Once you have arrived at the planet, an Asgard Ship will direct your ship to where it shall remain until the conclusion of the duel. After reaching this location, an Asgard ship will transport the duelers and their immediate staff to the arena where the duel shall take place. Each dueler's staff may contain no more than fifteen individuals including your second, a medic, and guard. All weapons will be deactivated by the arena force fields. Only those weapons designated in the duel will be useable. Anyone caught using a non-designated weapon will forfeit the duel. Are there any questions?"

"No." Both men answered.

"Very well; "Lord Ba'al who will be your second for this duel??" Thor asked.

"I name my First Prime." Ba'al said.

"Brigadier General O'Neill?"

"I name Teal'c of Chulak, leader of the Free Jaffa as my second." Jack said.

"General O'Neill, as the challenger, you may pick the weapon of choice."

"I choose swords with full armor." Jack said.

"Very well. Lord Ba'al, do you agree with these terms?"

"Yes. When I defeat Brigadier General Jonathan Patrick O'Neill, the Great Council will no longer interfere with me. Regardless of the outcome, I shall leave the home worlds of the members of the Great Council alone. If, by some miracle, I am defeated, I pledge that all that I rule over shall be yours to own and command however you see fit." Ba'al spoke.

"I concur." Jack said.

"As you have both entered this duel willingly, you are both barred from any conflict until this duel is over. Lord Ba'al, a ship will be waiting for you in two days." Ba'al simply nodded and disappeared.

"O'Neill, the rules of the duel exclude us from helping you directly. However, while I was waiting for Doctor Janet Jackson to exit the restroom facility in the Council Chambers, I discovered that you had dropped your data crystal." Thor handed Jack a data crystal, Jack knew for a fact that he did not drop anything. This was the Council's way of ensuring Jack's win.

"Oh thank you Thor. Sam was able to put _'The Simpsons'_ on that crystal for me so that I can watch it in the engineering room on the big holographic display." Jack laughed.

"I am pleased O'Neill. I have already sent word to Sif and to General Hammond about the duel. Due to a conflict of interest, I cannot remain on board your ship. Sif and General Hammond will be arriving here on board _The Daniel Jackson _in thirteen of your hours. Until then I will remain on the planet in the council chambers. Good luck." And before Jack could say anything, Thor was gone.

"Colonel Caldwell, under the circumstances, I think we should head to a safe port for a while."

"Understood sir, any idea where?" Caldwell asked.

Daniel spoke up, "PB3-985. It is a luscious world and is uninhabited."

"Perfect Spacemonkey; Colonel set course. Teal'c, you and I need to get to practicing, Dad if you would give us a hand with that. Sam, Janet, get something to eat, then see what Thor left us. After you have that figured out, join us in the workout room." Jack said before he left the room.

Seeing Sam's hesitation, Teal'c spoke. "Do not worry Colonel Samantha O'Neill. Your mate is a very capable warrior and is excellent with the blade. I give you my word that Grace O'Neill shall meet her father." Teal'c said before he left to follow his brother.

After the ladies used the restroom again, Daniel, Sam, and Janet sat down to find out what Thor had given Jack. Come to find out it was the plans for the new prototype battle armor that he, Teal'c, Sam, and a number of other people had been working on back on Earth. Based on Alterran and Goa'uld armor, the armor itself was made out of carbon, naquadah, trinium, and aluminum. This made it very light, but extremely strong.

The purpose of this armor, once put into production, was to replace the field vests that SG-Teams used in order to make combat situations safer. This armor however, was no where near what the field armor would be. This armor was made for one reason, to fight a vicious enemy.

The armor, which reminded Daniel of the Iron Man Suit from the comic books he had read when he was little, was equipped with regenerative systems, personal life support system, and the ability to give the wearer super human strength and agility. Built into each hand was the Alterran version of the goa'uld hand device, which incidentally was what the goa'uld device was based on in the first place. The units also did not require the wearer to have the ATA Gene to operate.

On the normal suits, around the waist was a utility belt which would hold spare clips of ammunition for the upgraded P-91 rifle that SG-Teams were beginning to use in lieu of the P-90, as well as the remaining pieces of a standard SG-Member's Field Vest.

In this case however, the utility belt was not to be used, in it's place was another style belt which included a sword scabbard, twenty different types of throwing blades, and a recent creation: a staff weapon four times more powerful than any carried by the Jaffa and able to collapse down to just four inches long. According to Rya'c, Teal'c, and Bra'tac this new staff was a warrior's weapon.

The legs of the armor were built for maximum maneuverability and protection. They included built in tranquilizer darts that the wearer could launch at will. Asgard repulsor technology was built into the heel of the boots to give the wearer the ability to jump extremely high and to fly as well as deployable blades from the toes of the boots.

The helmet of the armor offered a complete set of sensors including Infrared, Radiation, and built in GPS uplinks as well as audio and video communications and access to the SGC Library. Jack and Teal'c's helmets would not include access to the library or to the GPS systems for their duel.

Jack's armor also included a replica of the fabled sword _Excalibur _from the legends of King Arthur. This sword, when wielded by Jack, would cut thru any known material and deflect any type of energy launched at it.

Teal'c's weapon was right out of _Star Trek_; it was a bat'leth, the traditional weapon of a Klingon Warrior. The bat'leth, like Jack's sword, was made from carbon, steel, naquadria, trinium, and carbon fiber. Acid etched on the blade were the symbols of Chulak and Earth, Teal'c's two homeworlds.

After watching _Star Trek: First Contact_, Teal'c discovered that many fans went to conventions where they discussed _Star Trek _and everything that went with it. Teal'c finally dragged Daniel to a convention in Colorado Springs where he bought a hero version of a bat'leth and all the books he could find on it including how to use one.

After months of work, Teal'c became a master with the weapon and began to forge his own bat'leths out of Naqudrah, trinium, and steel. His first was given to General Hammond, the second was given to President Hayes' predessor. Teal'c discovered that forging these weapons by hand was calming and quite enjoyable. Unfortanatley due to it's size, it was not feasble to carry one on every mission thru the gate. Teal'c however had recently began to create other shorter weapons based on Klingon technology.

Sam discovered that one of the systems on board the Dadelus was a matter conversion system that could create anything except for complex lifeforms. The only limitations on what could be created was the amount of power needed and the detail of the plans. Because of the materials within the armor, the power needed was enormus. In fact to create the naquadrah for the armor, it took the equivilent of three thousand megatons of nuclear power, or about an eighth of a ZPM.

Four hours after Ba'al's challenge was accepted, Jack and Teal'c's battle armor were ready to be used for the first time.

The morning of the duel arrived. Jack and Teal'c, who had been training almost nonstop for the last two days, were spending time with their families. Teal'c spent his time with Rya'c, while Jack spent his time curled up with his very pregnant wife in their quarters. She remained by his side the entire time, giving him encouragement when needed, and making fun of him when he needed that too.

The duel was scheduled to begin in a few hours, and the final arrangements were being made. Ba'al's mothership arrived and was stationed in geosynchronous orbit above the planet's northern pole while the Daedalus was in orbit of the southern pole. Between them were four Asgard heavy cruisers with their weapons trained on the two ships.

During the previous two days, the arena had been cleaned and prepared for this duel. Force field generators were installed to cover the arena itself while the stands were covered in a force field that regulated the temperature. Twenty minutes before the duel was scheduled to begin, Sam, General Hammond, Jacob, Daniel, Janet, Rya'c, and Bra'tac all entered the arena and sat down in the spectator's area. Both Janet and Sam were very close to their due dates. In fact they were so close that the Daedalus' medical units were fully equipped for possible the possible arrivals, including Doctor Carolyn Lee and a team of nurses.

Ten minutes before the duel, Ba'al's party arrived. He was wearing armor of blood red and carried a scimitar. His First Prime carried a set of katana swords on his back. After motioning his guards to leave them, both men sat down and looked across the arena.

Five minutes before the duel, Jack and Teal'c arrived with their entourage. Included in their honor guard was SG-2, SG-3, along with Sergeants Siler and Harriman. Teal'c's armor was the traditional color of all Jaffa color, gray. However it was accented with gold and white. Jack's armor was blue with red and white accents.

At the prearranged time, Thor appeared in the middle of the arena and spoke. "Lord Ba'al, General O'Neill, are you prepared to duel?"

"Yes." Both men say.

"Very well, this duel shall be to the death by use of swords and blades only. When you arrived in the arena all of your other weapons were deactivated. Are there any questions?"

"No."

"No."

"Very well, begin." Thor said before disappearing from the arena floor.

The duel lasted for over an hour before Ba'al realized he was going to lose and decided to cheat. His scimitar had a built in energy weapon which had been deactivated until Ba'al felt that he needed it. Activating the weapon, he only had moments before the security sensors detected it.

Pointing his weapon at Jack, who was panting deeply, he fired, causing a bolt of yellow energy to fly out of the top of the weapon. Before anyone could react, Jack used his powers of telekinesis and moved one of the Jaffa Ba'al brought between him and the weapon. The energy blast caused the Jaffa's body to disintegrate instantly.

While this was happening, Teal'c took the chance and engaged Ba'al's second in combat once again. While the other Jaffa yielded his katana swords like a master, he was no match for Teal'c and his bat'leth. Teal'c, seeing that Ba'al had cheated, spun on his heel and thrust the blade of his weapon thru the symbiote pouch of his opponent before removing his head with a second swing.

Jack meanwhile concentrated every bit of energy he had within himself and willed the goa'uld within the man in front of him to his hand. The screams from Ba'al echoed through the arena along with the sound of skin and muscle tearing as the symbiote was ripped out of its host's body and flew to Jack's out stretched hand.

As the snake flew towards Jack, he raised his sword and chopped the head off of it. The two pieces fell to the ground, unmoving. Jack, seeing the Ba'al's host on the ground bleeding out, ran to the fallen man and began to use his healing powers.

"This duel is over; the goa'uld known as Lord Ba'al and his Second have been beaten in mortal combat." Thor stated before he lowered the force shields. As soon as the shield was lowered, Sam, Janet, and Jacob ran to Jack who was still working on Ba'al's former host. As they approached they heard the former host speaking.

"O'Neill…Why…?" The fading voice of Ba'al's former host asked.

"Because it was that damn snake in your head that made you do everything, not you." Jack said, using the built in healing devices in his armor now that the duel was over and the devices worked again.

"I remember everything…he…I…we…did." The host said.

"It'll get better. Of that you have my word. What is your name anyway?" Jack asked.

"I do not remember, but in my time watching…him…I thought of the name…Oscar."

"Well Oscar, I think that you're going to be fine, this is Jacob Carter and his symbiote Selmac; they are going to help you." Jack said after he finished doing all he could do for Oscar.

"Thank you O'Neill. And for what is worth, I am sorry for the hell Ba'al put you thru." Oscar said.

Jack nodded and walked away from the former goa'uld towards his brother Teal'c who was speaking to the Jaffa warriors who were part of Ba'al's guard. As he got close, Teal'c turned around and looked at his brother in arms. He took two strong strides towards Jack and engulfed him in a hug, his weapon falling to the floor.

"You have done a great service today O'Neill. I am honored to call you my brother."

"Thanks T—" Jack started but could not finish because Daniel was screaming.

"JACK!! SAM'S WATER JUST BROKE!!!"

"MINE TOO DANIEL!!!" Janet screamed from her place next to Oscar.

Teal'c and Jack looked at each other, with the same expression and said together "D'oh!!"

Teal'c's POV

"Computer: Continue recording of personal log. Audio and Video. Name: Teal'c. Authorization: Teal'c-Chulak 211134-Beta Zulu."

"Voice print authorized. Please continue Teal'c." The computer terminal asked.

"Thank you Alice of the Daedalus."

_Today is a day of great joy for my Tau'ri family. Today Grace Elizabeth O'Neill and Daniel Jonathan Jackson have both been born. Grace O'Neill was born at 2148 here on board the Daedalus after Samantha O'Neill spent four hours in labor while Janet Jackson was in labor five hours with DJ Jackson who was born at 2357 here as well._

_My two brothers are well, though they did not do anything in the birthing process except to remind their mates about proper breathing. I will take credit for teaching both of my sisters how to properly Kel'nor'eem and meditate._

_Because of the birth, Cassandra Jackson, General Hammond, Jacob Carter, Master Bra'tac, Rya'c, and Thor have decided to return to earth on board the Daedalus. Anise has taken the former host of Ba'al with her on board the Prometheus to the Tok'ra homeworld to debrief him. _

_Oscar, as he wishes to be called, ordered all of Ba'al's forces to stand down. The last of the false gods of the goa'uld are gone, the galaxy is now free. _

_Master Bra'tac and I have now spoken to many of our brothers and sisters and we have decided that the home of the Jaffa Nation's government shall be on Dakara; the ancient site where our people were first enslaved by the false gods._

At the sound of a baby cry, I turn to look at my niece and nephew.

_It is now, at this late hour, that I stand guard over my niece and nephew that I understand what O'Neill has tried to instill in me since we first met. As free people, it is our duty to do everything we can to make a better future for our children and their children._

_When I served the false god Apophis, I missed many things with Rya'c while he was young; it is something that I will always regret. However what I regret more is that I was unable to work to give him a better future until he was a warrior himself._

_As I have studied the Tau'ri and their customs, I find myself envious of the experiences that DJ Jackson and Grace O'Neill will experience that my own son will not. These children will not have to fight for their lives everyday, and will not know about many of the horrors Rya'c has seen._

_I feel that I have failed my son._

"You have never failed me, father." I hear behind me. I turn and see Rya'c standing in the doorway. He is not wearing his armor, but instead some of the Tau'ri clothing I gave him to celebrate his birth earlier this year.

"Alice of the Daedalus; please pause recording." I say to the computer

"Very well Teal'c, recording paused."

"You never failed me father. When you left Chulak with O'Neill, you began on a path that he led to our people being free."

"And what did my actions cost you, my son? Your mother is dead, and you spent much time without a father figure. When I was with you, I was always doing a mission." I say to my son.

"I know father. Master Bra'tac has told me of the many things he had done as the First Prime of Apophis and I know that you saw things that were just as heinous, but never forget why you fought. You fought to free our people and I could not be any prouder to be your son, then I am right now."

For the first time in a long time, Rya'c and I share a hug. It is not a hug between two warriors; it is a hug between a father and his son. As I feel the tears sliding down my face, I see Jacob Carter, George Hammond, and Master Bra'tac enter the room as well.

"Rya'c is wiser beyond his years, old friend." Bra'tac tells me. "You should proud of him."

"Indeed I am Bra'tac."

"Besides Teal'c, now that the goa'uld has been defeated, you can spend more time with Rya'c and his family." Jacob said.

"Also don't forget that Rya'c's wife is pregnant, you can soon spoil your grandchild rotten. Take it from us Teal'c; there is nothing better than watching your grandchildren grow up safe and happy." George said as he watched Grace O'Neil and DJ Jackson.

"Indeed George Hammond." I look at the clock and see that the time is quite late. "However the time is late and the children must sleep."

"I shall remain here and stand guard father. After all, they are our family." Rya'c says.

As the other men leave the infirmary, I take my son into another hug. "Indeed Rya'c. Indeed. Let us watch over the newest members of our clan and discuss what I have learned regarding the gestation period of the Tau'ri. They are very interesting."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Jack's POV

Ok my first day back from paternity leave and I am sitting in a fucking briefing. I swear to god Reynolds did this to me on purpose. He scheduled this meeting for my first day back to full time duty. Granted I was off for four weeks and then on a reduced schedule for another four weeks because of Grace and also as a thank you from the President, but that is still no reason for Reynolds to do this to me.

I don't want to be back. I want to be home, curled up with my wife, looking at our little miracle, our little Gracie. Yes I am a sap, but who cares.

"General O'Neill? Are you alright?" Major Longo asks me.

Shit I must be drooling again. Sam says I drool when I am bored.

"No I'm fine. Please continue."

"As I was saying, according to research from Doctor Jackson and Lieutenant Colonel O'Neill, we have confirmed that the stargate does need to use the eighth chevron to dial another galaxy and that Atlantis is in another galaxy."

"Spacemonkey, do we have an address for Atlantis?" I ask Daniel, who is back to work for the first time in three weeks as well.

"I think I have the symbols, but not the order yet. As we all know, the symbols that dial each gate are representations of different constellations."

"Right, but the Alpha Gate has six more glyphs than any of the other gates I have seen." Doctor Lee said.

"That is correct. From what we can tell, the Alpha Gate is the only gate that can be used to dial out of the galaxy." Daniel finished.

"So what do we need to do to dial Atlantis?" I ask.

"I need Sam and a little bit of time."

"I take it this is the project you two have been working on while Janet is working on her project and I have been reading reports while watching the munchkins?" I ask.

For the past week, Daniel and Janet come over for breakfast and then Sam and Daniel lock themselves in Sam's office while I play with the munchkins in my office while trying to read reports. Janet is in the library working on whatever she's been working on. It is frustrating sometimes.

"Yeah it is." Daniel answers, looking somewhat sheepish.

"Alright Spacemonkey, get with Sam and get the address. Major Longo, I want Major Sheppard to prepare a military team to head to Atlantis if it is deemed safe. Elizabeth Weir, who Colonel Reynolds let off-world on a mission while I was gone, has made Atlantis her personal project in her spare time, and will be my choice to lead any expedition."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Because, assuming that Atlantis still exists, we're going to need a diplomat there and she did an alright good of running the SGC before I got the job." The real reason is because the President, George, and I all feel that she is best suited to handle an assignment like this.

"Alright" said sulking.

"Good now get to work. I need to meet General Hammond at the Groom Lake Dry Docks. The Apollo and the Odyssey are almost ready to launch and we need to do the final inspections. I can't believe no one agreed with me to name one of the 'Enterprise'." I say before dismissing everyone.

I walk into my office and see the stack of paperwork on my desk. One of the things I have learned that as a Brigadier General, I have a shit load of paperwork to do on a daily basis. My only saving grace is that Walter is slowing converting all of this paperwork to electronic paperwork. You know, better for the environment.

I quickly sit down and go thru my paperwork. Walter organizes everything so that I know what is what. Anything really important Walter marks with a red tab, stuff I don't care about gets marked with a brown tab. I do love Walter's sense of humor some days.

As I am finishing up, Walter himself shows up in my office. "Pardon the intrusion sir."

"What's up Walter? By the way, how is the conversion to paperless going?"

"We should be completely paperless in another week or two, sir. General Hammond just called; he'll meet you at the transport platform in five minutes. He said BDUs are fine, sir."

"Excellent. I hate my dress uniform. Thank you Walter dismissed." I say.

After grabbing my backpack, it's a hell a lot easier to carry it and Grace than carrying a briefcase and Grace, and head to level 23 where the transporter room is. Since we started using the Asgard and Alterran Technology, we have shielded all of Cheyenne Mountain so that no one can beam in or out except from specific locations.

I call it the transporter room, but so far the official name is the secured beaming room. I know I like transporter room better.

As I arrive at the transporter room, my cell phone rings. Sam got me a secured encrypted cell phone with a wireless headset which ties into the SGC's communication system and those of our allies. It makes yelling for people much easier.

"Hello." I say.

"_Hi Jack. Grace wanted to say that she missed her daddy." _I hear Sam say.

"Well I miss her and her mommy too."

"_Are you at the Dry Docks yet?"_

"No. I'm just heading to meet up with General Hammond in the transporter room."

"_Invite him over to dinner tonight. Dad left Mark's this morning and should be here tonight."_

"Alright; I'll ask him. I need to go. I love you."

"_Grace and I love you too. By the way, make sure Teal'c comes tonight too. Daniel, Janet, and DJ are coming too. Cassie is going to be late; she has rehearsal for her high school musical tonight."_

"Alright, bye" I say as I end the call and walk up to George. You know I find it rather interesting that get along better with George now than when he was my CO. I always got along with him when he the CO of the SGC, but since he became the Director of Homeworld Security, it seems like he is more… human. It could be because he is the closest thing I have to a father since I lost mine when I was a kid.

I loved my mom. She worked two jobs to provide for me and my sisters, and never once did I go without. It might have taken a little longer than I wanted to get something, but in the end, I got whatever I needed. The one thing I never had, until now, was the strong father figure that I so desperately needed.

"Jack, how are you son?" George asked.

"I'm fine and so are Sam and your granddaughter. They want you to join us tonight for dinner. The Jacksons, Teal'c, and Jacob are joining us."

"Do you think there would be room for one more? My wife hasn't seen her latest set of grandkids in over a day?" George laughs. I am about to respond when George's phone rings.

"Hammond…Hello Martha…no I'm here with Jack. No dinner with the O'Neill Clan sounds good. No…I'll meet you there. Have Gregory drive you…ok. I promise we will not be late. Love you too…bye."

George looks at me for a moment. "It looks like Martha and Sam are cooking dinner tonight. Come on; let's get this inspection done with."

"It's no problem, George. We can just beam straight back if we run late."

"George, rule number one about being a general, never upset the wife. She runs the house. When it comes to your wife, well let me put it this way, she blew up a sun Jack. What do you think she'll do to you if you piss her off?"

"Good point. Dinner is at seven and I want to be back by six; after you, General."

_**Eight Hours Later**_

"George, why in the hell can't Armstrong just do what he is told? He was given orders to build the ships identically to the specs that the Daedalus was built to." I screamed for the thousandth time.

"I know Jack. That is why Colonel Armstrong is no longer in charge of the facility. Major Graham assures me that he'll have the ships back on schedule in a few days. He understands the nanites and the advanced construction techniques better than anyone." George tries to pacify me as we walk in from the transporter point on the back patio.

Like the SGC, I made damn sure that our home, in fact the entire homestead, was secured. The only transport points were on the patios of the houses and a secured room in the hangar. Sam says I am being paranoid, but I don't think so.

"Well thank god that someone up there has some brains. I really hope Freya gives it to them when he sees them." I say, knowing that my little Asgard friend would not be happy with those who ran the Dry Docks.

"Jack, let's enjoy the night, the family is here and you know Sam's rule, no work unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Of course George" I say as I open the sliding door into the house. "Lucy! I'm home!" I yell into the house.

"Jonathan Patrick O'Neill, if you yell one more time, I will personally staple your mouth shut. DJ and Grace just fell asleep!" Martha Hammond says as she enters the living room where we entered.

"And as for you, George Washington Hammond; how was your day?" She asks as she kisses her husband.

"Fine dear; the former Commanding Officer of the Groom Lake Dry Docks decided to change the plans and almost blew up most of Nevada and Utah. Jack fired him and I put Major Graham in charge in his place." George explains.

"Well, what would you have told me before Henry made sure I had clearance?" Martha asks.

"That I had to oversee a payload delivery system for a high-tech satellite and the CO of the facility almost destroyed the satellite, the rocket, and the launch platform." George replies easily.

"You've given that excuse before." Martha comes back.

"Well be glad that you have clearance now." George replies.

"I am." She then turns to me. "Go see your wife Jonathan. She missed you today."

Dinner was great. Sam, who can cook better than anyone I know, except for Martha Hammond. Sam cooked three large pot roasts with mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, fresh rolls, and salad. As we are finishing dinner, Daniel speaks up.

"Sam, I know you have the rule about no work in the house, but I have some important news for the General and for Jack regarding Atlantis."

The entire table went quiet. Daniel's research for Atlantis has been in the back of my mind for a while now, and I have no idea why. "Alright Spacemonkey, speak."

"Atlantis is in the Pegasus Galaxy. She is setting under a protective dome on the bottom of the ocean on the planet Lantean. Here are the gate coordinates." Daniel says as he passes the address to me and George, who is sitting to my left.

"Do I want to know how you figured this out Doctor Jackson?" George asked.

"Sir, after the briefing I put called Sam and gave her my information. She said that she would get started on the calculations. With nothing better to do, I decided to meditate for a while. For the last few weeks, Atlantis has been on my mind quite a bit.

"While I was meditating I had, for lack of a better term, a vision. I was standing in front a stargate, but it looked different from the ones I have seen before. I walked up a set of steps and into what I call the control center. There in front of me was an Alterran computer terminal and on it was the gate address to Earth from Pegasus and also the gate address to Pegasus from Earth. I looked up from the terminal and saw a window. Looking out, I saw that I was underwater underneath a large shield dome.

"When I awoke from my meditation, I immediately sat down at my computer and started to look up Lantean and the symbols I saw. Sam called me back this afternoon and gave me the gate address which I had already seen." Daniel finished.

"Sam, did you check out the address? Is there a gate there?" I ask my wife.

"The computer in the basement was working on it when I left it."

"Is it tied into the SGC mainframe then?" George asks.

"Yes sir."

"Alright, we'll try to dial the gate tomorrow. Jack, contact Dr. Weir and tell her to assemble her team. We'll debrief at 0900 tomorrow morning. Because of your connection to the Alterrans and the ascended, I want SG-1 and Doctor Janet to go as well. Colonel Reynolds and I can handle the SGC while you're gone."

"What about the kids?" Janet asks.

"Well, if you don't have a problem with it, Martha and I would love to have Cassie, DJ, and Grace stay with us while you're gone."

"I would love to watch the kids. With our other kids having moved out of state, our house is a little empty. Besides, I don't think you'll be gone too long." Martha stated.

"George, Martha, why don't you guys stay here instead. I know for a fact that you still haven't gotten the security upgrades completed at the house yet; let alone the kitchen remodel that Martha has been beginning for since you first took command of the SGC." I say.

It is not that I don't trust the Hammond's House, I do. The house sits on five acres of land, bordered by trees. George had the house built as a retirement place shortly before he became the CO of the SGC. After the Trust abducted his grandchildren, George went thru and had the entire secured and added a panic room. The house itself was shielded from beaming and any sort of electronic surveillance.

When he became the Director of Homeworld Security, President Hayes assigned a permanent protective detail of SFs from the SGC to protect the house. I also told him that he needed to install the same security that I have around the homestead. President Hayes agrees with me and in fact a number of security measures that Sam and I have designed are being used at the White House and other hard targets.

"Oh Jonathan, Sam, would you mind? George has wanted to get the work done to the house for ages, but with us being home…" Martha said.

"Good, then it's settled." Jack said.

_**Stargate Command Briefing Room**_

_**0900 Hours **_

"Thank you all for coming on short notice. Doctor Daniel Jackson and Colonel Samantha O'Neill have located what we believe is the Lost City of the Atlantis. If the address is correct, we plan on sending thru a MALP to do a standard recon. If it is considered safe, then I will ok the Atlantis Expedition to head out. For the rest of the briefing, I will now turn it over to Doctor Daniel Jackson and Colonel Samantha O'Neill." George said before sitting down.

My wife, who looks really hot in her BDUs, stands at the podium. This mission briefing is bigger than normal. There is of course SG-1.5. That is of course SG-1 plus Doc Janet. Then there is Doctor Elizabeth Weir, who is currently Earth's Primary Diplomatic Officer after Danny boy. Doctor Weir is also going to serve as the Leader of the Atlantis Expedition after SG-1.5 returns home.

Her Second-In-Command and Military Commander of the expedition is Major John Sheppard. Major Sheppard has been the Second-In-Command of the Antarctic Outpost under the soon to be Lieutenant Colonel Longo. John, as I have begun to refer to him as, is a nice guy who disobeyed orders in order to save the lives of his men. Personally I think the man deserves a medal for it, but assholes like Kinsey put a stop to that. John also has the ATA gene like myself and seems to have just as much control as I do. To quote what Janet said, he's a natural when it comes to running Alterran Technology.

Next is Doctor Rodney McKay. For the record, McKay is the reason why I do not like scientists. The man is brilliant, that I'll give you, but the man is annoying and I want to hurt him repeatedly. He's been working at the outpost and is going to invaluable to the Atlantis Expedition. Sam likes the idea because that means that he far away from her and Earth.

One of the nicest men I have ever met is Doctor Carson Beckett, MD. Doctor Becket will serve as the Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis and work a lot with Janet on Alterran Medical technology. He is actually the man who designed the ATA Gene Therapy that we use so that more people can use Alterran Technology. His deep Scottish accent is something that I constantly laugh at, being Irish myself.

And the final member of the Atlantis Command Staff is Doctor Radek Zelenka, Ph.D. This man can give Sam and McKay a run for his money, but is not a people person. He is quiet and prefers a cup of tea over coffee and like cake and jell-o, regardless of the color. This alone makes him a good guy in my book. The thing I like about Zelenka is that he will work with the same dedication on whatever project he is given, no matter what the project is or who has given it.

As I am sure you have noticed, only Major Sheppard is military. This is because we don't want to look like a conquering army when we arrive. However we are also sending a rather large team to go with the command staff. I have assigned SG-7, 10, 15, 19, 22, 25, and two squadrons of SFs plus a platoon of Marines to Atlantis. Beyond that I am sending twice as many scientists and support personnel too.

"Good morning. For the past two years, SG-1 and various SGC personnel have been searching for any information on the fabled Lost City of the Ancients, called Atlantis. After many months of research and quite a bit of luck, we have discovered the final resting place of the city. It is located in the Pegasus Galaxy." Sam begins.

"Thanks to quite a bit of research, we have learned that the eighth chevron on our stargate is what is required to dial the Pegasus Galaxy and specifically the Atlantis Stargate. According the database in the Antarctic Outpost, when the last of the Alterrans returned to earth, they locked out the Atlantis gate so that it could only be dialed from an Earth gate." Daniel said.

"Do we know why the Alterrans abandoned Atlantis in the first place?" Major Sheppard asked. See I like this guy, he thinks like me.

"The only thing we found about was that the Alterrans sank the city deep beneath the oceans and returned to earth after placing the city in a state of extended hibernation. It could be that the Alterrans were preparing for the last step of ascension and decided to come home. We have however learned why they left the Milky Way Galaxy originally.

"About a million years ago, there was a major virus that broke out and spread through the galaxy, killing billions. As a last ditch effort, Atlantis departed from Earth and headed to Pegasus to rebuild their empire." Daniel said.

"So you think there are worlds there that have been seeded with humanoid life and stargates?" I ask.

"Yes. Now that you have the history lesson down, I would like Sam to explain the technical side of this mission." Daniel said before sitting down.

"Once we finish our briefing, we will be sending one MALP thru the gate to Atlantis. Once we receive positive telemetry, the Atlantis Expedition will step thru with our personal gear and Fifteen FREDs and trailers, filled with enough supplies and equipment for three months. We are also taking eight Zero Point Modules and fifteen of our Naquada generators. Because we are uncertain of the condition of the city, we do not believe we will be able to dial back to Earth right away. Because of their experience with Alterrans and ascended beings, SG-1, will be joining the expedition. General O'Neill will be in charge of the Expedition until he leaves, at which time Doctor Weir will assume command.

"The ZPMs we are bringing will be used to power the city, which according to the Alterran Database requires three ZPMs to power all the system as full strength. Our naquadah generators will serve as backup power for the city and to power any offsite operations we may setup. The remaining five ZPMs will be used as emergency replacements and also to power any other outposts that we may find.

"With two ZPMs on board, the Daedalus will be able to reach Atlantis in five days from Earth. They will be bringing extra equipment and supplies as well as serve as our lifeboat if needed. We also believe that there are a number of Alterran outposts and warships spread throughout Pegasus. One of our mission objectives is to examine these outposts and ships and to evaluate their operational status.

"From the limited information we have on Atlantis, we believe that it is indeed a city, complete with infirmaries, dining rooms, living spaces, laboratory spaces, and other spaces that we are not sure what they are yet. We are taking tents, sleeping bags, MREs, and other standard long term off-world gear with us." Sam concluded.

"Excuse me Colonel." One of the SFs said.

"Yes airman."

"If Atlantis is viable as a base, are we going to participate in missions similar to those run from the SGC?"

"General O'Neill. I think you should handle this one." Sam said, smiling at his husband.

"Thank you Colonel O'Neill." Jack said before turning back to the room as large. "The answer is yes, we are going to explore the Pegasus Galaxy and make friends, and probably enemies."

George cleared his throat. "Excellent. If there is nothing else, the dialing to Atlantis is scheduled for 20 minutes. I want all personnel and equipment ready to move out by that time. Dismissed."

_**Twenty Minutes Later**_

_**  
SGC Control Room**_

"Chevron Seven locked." Walter said. "Chevron Eight Encoded…Chevron eight…Locked…Wormhole established."

"Send thru the MALP." George ordered.

SG-1, Janet Frasier along with DJ, Grace, and Martha Hammond were all in the Control Room watching the MALP telemetry.

"My god, it looks exactly like my vision." Daniel said in awe.

"All sensors look good sir. Oxygen levels are good. No signs of radiation or life forms." Sam said.

"SG-1, Atlantis Expedition, you have a go." George said. "Daedalus will leave Earth in 1 hour. They will see you in five days."

"Yes sir." Jack and Sam said giving George a salute before they crossed to their daughter was being held by Martha.

"Gracie, you be good for Grandma Martha and Grandpa George, ok." Jack said kissing his baby girl.

"I love you Grace Elizabeth." Sam said.

As they were saying their goodbyes, Janet and Daniel were doing the same thing with DJ and Cassie.

"Cassie, you look after Martha and the General for us ok?" Janet told her daughter.

"I will mom." Cassie said.

"I love you DJ." Janet said as she kissed her son's head.

"Take care of your little brother and your cousin for me, ok?" Daniel asked his stepdaughter.

"You take care of Mom and Jack for me, alright?" Cassie asked.

"And I'll keep an eye on you Teal'c and Sam too." Daniel said. "I love you Cassandra."

"I love you too daddy." Cassie said.

"Daniel Jonathan Jackson and Grace Elizabeth O'Neill, I shall endeavor to return to your parents to you both. Grow strong and smart and remember that many of us love you." Teal'c told the two babies.

"Alright campers, let's get to it." Jack said. A moment later SG-1.5 left the control room.

"Alrighty then, SG-1's on point, Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir, deploy your teams as you see fit. Once we reach the other side of the puddle, move away from the gate so that the FREDs can get thru safely. I want everyone to go thru on ten second intervals." Jack said.

As Jack reached the top of the gate, he turned to the Control Room and snapped General Hammond the command staff a salute. "God speed Atlantis Expedition." And with that, Jack stepped thru the stargate holding onto his wife's hand.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Jack's POV

As Sam and I exit the stargate, I see the room is dark. Not black, but more like the room is asleep. Sam immediately takes control of the MALP and moves it to the far side of the room. The room itself is quite large, at least three times the size of the gate room at the SGC. The majority of the room is ground level with two sets of hallways leading out. Directly in front of the gate is a large set of stairs that led up to balcony area that I would assume is the control center of the city.

Sam and I, with our guns still raised, make our way up the stairs.

"Jack, I would say this is the control center for the gate. It also looks like the central control center for the whole city." Sam tells me.

"Daniel, get up here." I yell to my space monkey who looks like he is like a kid on Christmas.

"Major Sheppard. Send out your teams to investigate the immediate area. Teal'c escort Doctors Weir and McKay up here. Janet, I would you and Doctor Beckett to see if you can find an infirmary." I say into my radio.

"General O'Neill." Sheppard says when he reaches the command center.

"Sheppard, according to this schematic, the throne chair is supposed to be a couple of floors below us. Check it out and see if you can get it to work."

"Yes sir."

"Jack, we found the ZPM control systems." Daniel said.

"According to this information, the three ZPMs are almost depleted. The city dome shield is almost ready to fail. We need to get the three ZPMs in and running like now." McKay says.

"If we do that, then how do we deflect the water?" I ask.

"Jack, I found a command sequence that should unlock the city from the ocean floor." Sam said.

"McKay, get to the power distribution center and get the three ZPMs installed. Sam, get this city to the surface. Doctor Weir, how is your Alterran?"

"A little rusty."

"Atlantis is now powered by three Zero Point Modules." McKay said in the large conference room. The man has calmed down quite a bit since I first met him. He was still annoying, but he was brilliant. Just no where near as brilliant as my wife. "The city shield is operating at one-hundred percent. And all primary systems are operational, including the ships stardrive systems and weapon systems."

"Sir, I have teams checking out the city. So far there seems to be no one else here, but the entire place is clean and it looks like a number of the food stores are still in excellent shape. It looks like the stasis fields were powered by the ZPMs as well. So far nothing that would be considered a threat." Major Sheppard said.

"What about the Control Chair?" Doctor Weir asked, asking the same question I had in my head. We talked while on Earth and decided that as she learned more and more about command, I would give her more and more responsibility. It works for me because the woman really knows her stuff.

"It seems to be operating normally. I sat in it and got an instant reaction, much like the way I got the one in Antarctica to work. According to the inventory though, there are les than three dozen drones left though."

"Damn." I mutter.

"Daniel, what did you find out about why the Alterrans abandoned the city?"

"According to this information, the Alterrans decided they wanted to play god and began to experiment on a type of native bug to this galaxy. They mixed it with human DNA and created a new race called the Wraith. Unlike normal humanoids, the wraith feed off of the life energies of other humanoids, killing their prey. The wraith over ran the Alterrans through out the galaxy and pushed them back to Atlantis where they made their final stand. After realizing that could not win, they sank the city and retreated." Daniel said somewhat dejectedly and I know what he is thinking. He wants to send Janet back to Earth as soon as possible. I know because I want to do the same thing with Sam.

"So we have a new bad guy to deal with; just great." I mutter. Fucking hell, I don't want to have to fight another bad guy. I want to go home to by little girl and try and knock up my wife again. "Teal'c, how is the city itself and how is everyone settling in?"

"After looking over the database, I have ordered living quarters in this central control spire to be used for the time being until more of the city can be explored. The mess hall is being setup as we speak in what appears to be an existing area designed for the preparation and consumption of foods. Doctor Weir, as the Expedition Leader, has been given the main office that connects to Stargate Operations. O'Neill, you office and that of Major Sheppard are on this level, I shall show them to you when you desire." Sheppard and I nod our approval as Teal'c contains. "This conference room and the larger conference room on the opposite side of Stargate Operations are working and have various Tau'ri technologies installed as well as the working Alterran Technology that we already present."

"What about mission support facilities?" I ask, knowing that Teal'c understood what I meant.

"The main armory has already been secured as well as locations for four secondary armories. Each armory uses the latest Asgard Tau'ri security protocols and is shielded against any form of transport beam and explosion.

"The MALP storage and repair facility is located beneath Stargate Operations and has a direct path to the stargate. We have also discovered six different confinement cells. Each one is made of an unknown metal and is surrounded by a force shield of some sort."

I nod "Excellent news Teal'c; Doctor Beckett, Doctor Frasier, how are you doing?"

"Doctor Jackson and I have found what appears to be the original main infirmary. It contains various diagnostic and treatment tools as well as a direct terminal to the Atlantis Database. The medicines that were contained there are still usable, once again thanks to stasis shields. We also have two secondary infirmaries and ten isolation/observation rooms and too many laboratory spaces to count."

"Thank you Doctor Beckett. Sam, what have you got on the city herself?"

"The city itself is in remarkably good shape. There appears to be automatic repair systems that have come back online and are repairing whatever systems have been damaged as well as whatever structural repairs need to be made. It is one of the reasons why the city appears to be so clean. According to the logs, the cleaning systems went offline just over a month ago due to lack of power. There is also some sort of a vehicle bay above the gate room which is loaded with small ships that are used to travel through the gate. There is another bay that exits underneath the city into the water.

"The five 'arms' of the city that stretches out from the central part are reinforced and are relatively bare of any buildings. According to schematics, these arms are where the larger ships could land and be serviced. Pier one, which is the northernmost pier, is probably the best one for the Daedalus to land on since the others are being repaired as we speak."

Wow. My wife is hot when she is gets all geeky on me. I shake myself out my musings.

"Doctor Weir, what were you and Zelenka able to learn about the Pegasus Galaxy?" I ask.

"Radek and I were able to access the complete stargate system map for this galaxy. Like the Alpha Gate on Earth, the Atlantis Gate contains the information on the cosmic drift and the condition of all the gates since they were first seeded. Over one third of the stargates in this galaxy are not planet based. Many of them are based in space." I see Doctor Zelenka activating the holographic projector in the middle of the table showing a stargate.

"According to the database, these 'Space Gates' are held in place by three thrusters that draw power from the cosmic radiation in space; all of these gates are dialed by remote DHDs which are located in the gate ships." Zelenka explains.

"Out of the remaining stargates, which we believe are planet based, we have counted over two dozen gates that are not accessible. By using the long range scanners we believe that these gates are buried, and not destroyed." Zelenka explained.

"What about these Wraith creatures?" I asked the room at large.

"Sir, I would suggest sending out a team to investigate. The Atlantis Database shows a number of inhabited worlds close by, maybe someone on one of them can explain what these wraiths are." Major Sheppard said.

"Elizabeth?" I ask her. Because I am not planning on being here forever, she should start getting used to be in the command chair.

"I think it's a good idea. Major Sheppard, assemble your team." She says.

"Teal'c, go with them. Daniel, keep working on the database. We need as much information on these Wraiths as possible. Sam, we know that the Alterrans used subspace signals to order more ZPMs in the Milky Way Galaxy. See if they used subspace here the same way. There may be more outposts out there along with some ships since we never found any in the Milky Way.

"Zelenka, I want you and McKay, if Major Sheppard isn't using him, to research Alterran Weapons. I know that the Alterrans had advanced satellite weapons technology. I would assume they put into practice here.

"Elizabeth, you're with me. I want to check out that Holographic Chamber that we showed me earlier."

"Of course, General."

"Good. Dismissed."

_**Six Hours Later**_

"These wraiths have lived for thousands of years. They keep many of the local populations around to serve as cattle for when they feed. While we were meeting with the leader of the local village, the wraith arrived." Major Sheppard reported.

"Casualties?" I ask. It's late, almost 2345 Zulu and the city is asleep. I made sure Sam was a sleep before I headed for Stargate Operations when the call came in.

"Two of our people were stunned by some sort of zat like weapon. Teyla and Ronon said that they lost seven more of their people."

"And who are Teyla and Ronon?" I ask.

"Teyla Emmagan is the leader of her village; the call themselves Athosians. When the wraith attacked, we evacuated everyone thru the gate and back to Atlantis. These people are farmers and gatherers, sir. I have no idea how they stand up to the wraith."

"They don't. They flee from the wraith. They hide in the forests and in caves and move from planet to planet thru the ring of the ancestors." A man said from the doorway. He was a tall man, about 6'6" with a thin yet muscular build and long hair that has been braided.

"General O'Neill, may I present Ronon Dex. Ronon Dex, this is Brigadier General Jack O'Neill." Sheppard said as he introduced us.

Ronon suddenly snapped to attention and gave me a crisp salute. "Specialist Ronon Dex, sir."

I salute the man back "At ease solider." He did so "So I take it you are not a native Athosian?"

"No sir. I am from the planet Sateda. My people were attacked by the wraith five years ago. Instead of being fed upon, I was implanted with a device that allows them to track me. I became what am known as a runner. I run, they track me and we try to kill each other."

"Can they trace you back here?" I ask, already beginning to panic.

"No sir. When I arrived here, your Doctor Janet Jackson scanned me and removed the implant. She asked Sheppard to throw it threw the ancestral ring."

"John, where did you send it?" I ask.

"Thru a space gate." He says with a smile.

"Excellent. Well then Major; make sure the Athosians are settled into some confortable quarters as well as Ronon here."

"Teal'c and Major Lorne are already taking care of that. As for Ronan—"

"Teyla is my wife. We married three years ago. I had been injured on a planet where Teyla found me. Because of the high electromagnetic field, the wraith could track me for almost a year. During that time I was nursed back to health and fell in love with Teyla. When the Wraith caught up with me, I ran; saving Teyla and the others."

"That is rough. My wife and I have gone thru many hardships ourselves before we were married." I tell both men. "Where is your wife?" I ask.

"She's resting. She is with child and it has not been easy on her. As the leader of her people, there is a lot of stress which is not good for her or the baby. Even though she is my wife, I am not Athosian and therefore cannot help lead her people." Ronon tells us. I see that John has already been taken by the man and I can't help but agree with him. Ronon reminds me a lot of Teal'c when I first met him. I only hope that their friendship lasts as long as mine and my Jaffa firned's has.

I am pulled from my thoughts as Teal'c and Elizabeth enter my office. "O'Neill, all of the Athosians are settled into quarters for the evening. Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan said that wishes for you to return to her side for the evening. She asked me to tell you that you are with friends here and I agree with her conclsuion." Teal'c said as he bowed to to Ronon.

"Well, my wife said for me to head to bed so I guess I should go." Ronon said.

"Having an angry preganant wife is not the best thing for you. Trust me on this. Why don't we all call it a night." Ronan, I would like you and Teyla to join us for breakfast."

"Sure what time?" Ronon asks.

I toss him one of my spare watches. "0730 hours. If you need anything, just tap the communication device and ask for any of us."

"No problems. At least you people tell time the same way my people did. Teyla's people had no idea about before I came along. They had no idea what a clock was. I'll see you in the morning. General sir." He salutes before saying goodnight to the others.

"Ronon." I say.

"Sir."

"There is no need to salute me and you can call me Jack. All of my friends do." I tell him.

"Yes sir." He says before he leaves.

"That goes for you two as well. Whenever we are in private." I tell Sheppard and Weir.

"Thank you sir. We should all get to bed. Goonight." John says as he and Elizabeth leave.

As I leave my office, I see Teal'c waiting for me. "How bad are they Teal'c?"

"The Wraith are a most interesting enemy O'Neill. From the information I have obtained, the Wraith go into a long period of sleep while their food reproduces. While they are in this state, they are vunerable."

"Good. What do you think about the Athosians?"

"An honorable people. I believe they will make good allies. They are extensive traders and have made many contactson many different worlds that will be of use to us."

"Very well. Did Janet get back to bed?"

"Daniel Jackson escorted Janet Jackson to their quarters shortly before I met with you. Now O'Neill, my friend, I believe that you should return to bed and spend time with your mate. I shall make sure that Telya Emmagan Ronon Dex are at breakfast."

"Night Teal'c."

"Goodnight my brother."

_**0630 Hours**_

_**O'Neill Quarters**_

_**Atlantis**_

_Good morning Jack. It's time to get up._

_Five more minutes Sam._

_If you don't get up now, I'll cut you off sex for a week._

_Janet said you can't have sex yet anyway._

_I can as of tomorrow._

"I'm up." I yell. I turn and see that my lovely wife already showered and dressed. "You know, you are an evil woman."

"Yes, I do know that." She says to me. "And I already spoke to Teal'c about the Athosians after reviewing your memories from early this morning."

"Alright, let me get a shower." I tell her crawling out of bed.

"Good, I want to see what the computer came up with last night." I hear her as I make my way to the shower.

Twenty minutes later, I am showered, shaved, and dressed and listening to my wife sing along two _'Who Are You'_ by The Who. Now I am a classic rock kind of guy. I have The Beatles, Aerosmith, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Whitesnake, The Beach Boys, The Jackson Five, and I do have a few musicals in my CD collection, while Sam has stuff like Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osborne, Metallica, Nirvana, and other Hard Rock and Alternative bands in hers.

It's not like she doesn't like the classics, but he prefers the louder bass of her stuff. So when I do watch her listening to some of my stuff, I have to laugh. I'll never forget walking in on her one day singing _Old Time Rock and Roll._ It is one of my favorite memories of Sam acting like a dork.

"If you're done remembering me acting like a fool, then I think we can get to breakfast." Sam says, ending my day dreaming.

"Yes dear." I mutter as we walk to the commissary.

When we arrive, the rest of SG-1 and most of the Atlantis Command Staff is already waiting for us along with Teyla Emmagan and Ronon. After getting our breakfast, we sit at the table and I handle the introductions.

"Good morning Ronon. Madam Emmagan, I'm General Jack O'Neill." I say, offering my hand to the beautiful young woman.

"It is a pleasure to meet you General. But please call me Teyla."

"Only if you call me Jack" I respond. Now let me handle the rest of the introductions. To my right is my friend Teal'c. He is a Jaffa from the planet Chulak in the Milky Way Galaxy, next to him is Doctor Radek Zelenka, then Doctor Elizabeth Weir, who will be the leader of this city when I return to earth. Next to her is Major John Sheppard, as I am sure you remember, then is Doctor Carson Beckett our Chief Medical Officer, then is Doctor Rodney McKay, Doctor Janet Jackson and her husband Doctor Daniel Jackson, and finally next to me is my beautiful wife Lieutenant Colonel Samantha O'Neill."

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Thank you for allowing our people shelter here. I have always dreamed of finding the lost city of the ancestors. It is grander than anything I have ever imagined." Teyla said.

"Yes, well it is in good condition for being as old as it is." I say.

"John was just saying that you come from another Galaxy, is this true?"

Daniel pipes up. "Yes. We are from the Milky Way Galaxy. Most of us come from the planet Earth. Our people are called the Tau'ri."

"The Tau'ri? Are you sure?" Ronon asks us.

"Of course. Why?" I ask.

"Teyla, did anyone grab the village grimoire?" Ronon asked.

"Yes. It is in the room we stayed in last night."

"If you'll excuse me" Ronon said before running out.

"Teyla, you and your people are welcome to remain here as long as you want." Elizabeth tells the young leader.

"Thank you, I will discuss it with my elder's council. I know Ronon likes the idea of having someone with advanced medicine look after me. Our child has been…difficult."

"Aye lassie. From your medical results, I believe that you and I are going to become very well acquainted. You are in need of rest and to take some medicines." Beckett says.

Ronon returned holding a rather large book. "This is my village's grimoire, our history. I am not sure why Ronon wanted it so badly."

"The earliest entries mentioned a prophecy regarding the arrival of the Tau'ri. Here it is: The Tau'ri shall return to the city of the Ancestors…Coming from a far away world, they shall be led by Soulmates touched by an unknown evil and by the Ancestors…Their arrive shall spell the end of Wraith and bring peace to our galaxy for a thousand generations…"

We were quiet, processing what we had heard and knew. Was possible for this prophecy to actually be real? I have no idea but it looks like Daniel is about ready to bust a nut.

"McKay, did you get the Stargate working to dial Earth?" I ask.

"Yes of course. It is preloaded on the DHD as speed dial 1."

"Good. Everyone, let's meet in the conference room in twenty minutes. I need to contact Earth first." I said.

"What are you saying Jack?" George asked me thru the video feed.

"What I am saying is that the Wraith are dangerous and need to be eradicated. From what Ronon and Teyla have told me, the Wraith are in some deep sleep. If we can find where they are, we can annihilate them with a naquada bomb." I explain to George and President Hayes.

"Does this have anything to do with you being an Alterran?" Hayes asks me.

"Yes sir it does. But it goes beyond that. The Alterrans built this city, seeded this galaxy with life and let the experiment out of the lab. That experiment is now killing millions of innocent people." I plead empathically.

"Daedalus is a day out from Earth. I'll contact Thor in Antarctica and we'll brainstorm. See what you can get out about where these wraiths are sleeping." Hayes said.

"Yes sir.

"Ronon, Teyla, do you have any idea about how many Wraith there are and where they are sleeping at?" I ask after everyone was seated.

"I have something even better." Ronon tells the room. He pulls out a data crystal and hands it over to Sheppard. "This is a data crystal that I picked off of a dead wraith. I was able to access it while I was hiding in an outpost of the ancestors a few months ago. It shows where all of the Wraith Hive Ships are located. That is where the Wraith sleeps." There are only a few Wraith 'Keepers' which are tasked with maintaining the other Wraith while they sleep."

"How do they reproduce?" Janet asked.

"From what I have been able to tell, each hive ship is its own kingdom ruled by a queen. The queen lays eggs and produces more wraiths." Ronon explained.

"Sounds like they mimic insects in their behavior" Janet commented.

"That is what my people believed as well."

"Any idea about shields or on other automated defenses?" Sheppard asked.

"From what I was able to discover while I was running, when the hive ships are in space, they have shields. On the ground, their power levels are extremely low and actually draw most of their power from the planet they are sitting on."

"Jack, I have an idea. If the worlds these hive ships are on are un-inhabited, we could use the beaming systems on the Daedalus and beam a Mark X Bomb into the ship and let it blow." Sam said.

"You want to use a gate buster to take out a hive ship?" Daniel asks.

"Yes. This way we know they're dead."

"Ronon, how many hive ships are there?" I ask.

"A total of seventy five; the problem is, according to my information, if we try to blow up the ships one at a time, the hives will wake up and then we are in deep trouble."

"Sam—" but I was cut off by my headpiece in my ear.

"_General O'Neill. I have an urgent signal from the SGC for you sir, priority one."_ Sergeant Smith says.

"Patch it thru to the conference room."

"Sierra Gulf Command, this is Sierra Golf Alpha."

"_Jack, Thor has an idea on how to deal with these wraith creatures."_ Hammond says.

"Good because we have one as well."

"_Well what is it."_

"We need seventy five, I say again–seven five–Mark X bombs and as many ships as we can get with Asgard transport beams."

"_There are not enough ships for a mission like that. However, Thor has an idea that might work. Be prepared to receive visitors."_ Hammond says.

"Atlantis awaits your arrival."

"_We'll be there in five minutes. The first of the Mark Xs will be there within the hour."_

_**Fifteen Minutes Later**_

"As General Hammond said, Sif and I have discovered a way dialing multiple stargates at once." Thor said.

"Ronon, do all of these worlds have stargates?" I ask.

"All but one and all of these worlds have been culled. The only things left are the trees and the wraith." Ronon said.

"Thor, is it possible to beam multiple items all at once?" Sam asks.

"We would need to use a transponder so that the beam targeting system could find the various targets." Thor explained.

I look at George then at the room at large for a moment. This had the possibility of being a suicide mission and everyone knew it.

"It's your call Jack." George said.

"Alright. Thor how soon can we get these transponder devices?" I ask my little buddy.

"Sif is working on them now. They will be here within three of your hours."

"Good. Sam, McKay, Zelenka; I need you to look over Ronon's information for the best place to place the transponders. I would prefer that we not have to penetrate the ships if we can help it. Major Sheppard, we're going to need teams. Make them three man teams, heavily armed and ready to fight. Do we have enough of the Alterran personal shields for everyone?"

"Just enough sir."

"General O'Neill, my people wish to volunteer to help." Teyla informs me.

"Good because we'll need all the help we can get. Teyla, I would like you to remain here with me. Ronon, I would assume that you want to go help plant this transponders?"

"Yes."

"Good. Janet, Beckett, get the infirmary ready for possible causalities. Daniel, you're working on the database, get us everything you can find on the Wraith. Elizabeth, you're with me. George, do you want to stay or…" I ask my boss.

"I'll return to Earth and coordinate the Mark-X transfer. Besides, my grandkids might miss me if I am gone."

_**Five Days Later**_

In the last five days, Atlantis has been very place. When Sif came thru with the transponders, I also discovered something rather interesting, Sif was pregnant. According to Sif, she should not have been able to become pregnant yet, but as I reminded her. _Nature will find a way._

I have never seen my friend Thor pass out before. Thank god their physiology is becoming somewhat human again, or else Janet might not have been able treat Thor's concussion. Thor of course is ecstatic and is mothering Sif to death. I swear to god if I was that bad with Sam I would be dead. Their child will be closer to the Asgard of old than it's parents, and much closer to humanoid than they are now.

The other bit of good news is that the transponders are all in place. Sif, bless her soul, are designed to work just of phase and so can pass thru matter and not detectable by any normal scanners unless you knew the frequency. The scanners in Atlantis needed an Asgard program patch to make them work properly.

I must say that I am impressed with the Athosians and their work ethic. In the five days I have known them, they have amazed me. The ones who remained on Atlantis explored over the half the city and took detailed notes and pictures. I need to thank Daniel for bringing the extra digital cameras.

There are huge hydroponics bays that have a variety of plant life in them located on the far side of the city. There are also construction facilities that if I were a betting man would be for starship construction. And there are living spaces of various sizes. They even found what amounts to a Alterran playground for children and three obvious locations where schools were once located. This is indeed a city.

On the others fronts, Daniel has discovered that there are three other city ships in the Pegasus Galaxy and Five Outposts. The other two city ships, Avalon and Valhalla are both smaller than Atlantis are both asleep. Once the wraith are dealt with, I plan on sending out teams to explore both cities. The other interesting thing Daniel and Elizabeth discovered are the ten Alterran warships that still exist. Five of them are heading this way at slow speeds due to low power and the over five are non operational due to unknown reasons.

Daedalus arrived yesterday and after briefing Caldwell in detail, they headed out tot the lone hive ship on a planet with no gate. Caldwell is upset that Sheppard is the Military Commander and I don't blame him. Little does Caldwell know that Major Sheppard will become Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard next week and that he'll make Colonel with the next two years.

"Jack." I hear. I turn around and see my wife standing behind me. I was looking out over the city lost in thought.

"Yes dear."

"Daedalus is in position. We're ready for you."

One of the things that we decided on was to inform the Wraith that their time was up and that I was the lucky bastard who would give them this news. Thor and Sif rigged up one of their holographic pads that will show my image to all of the hive ships at once.

Walking into the SGO, short for Stargate Operations, I see everyone is ready.

"Ready Thor?"

"I am ready O'Neill."

"Dial the gate." I say and watch as the gate is activated.

I step onto the pad and wait for it to light up. Once it lights up, I speak. "To all Wraith. This is Brigadier General Jonathan O'Neill, heir to the Alterrans. You were created by my ancestors by mistake. You are a lab experiment that has gotten out of hand. As the heir to the Alterrans, I have a message for you: Your time is up." I step off the platform and give Thor the order to deploy.

"Daedalus, this is Sierra Gulf Alpha, deploy the package."

"_Sierra Gulf Alpha, package is deployed."_ Caldwell's voice said over the communication channel.

I cross to the control panel for the bombs and input my access code as Elizabeth, Sam, and Sheppard do the same thing. Once gone, I turn to the others, "Turn your keys on one: Four, Three, Two, One, Turn." We turn our keys, activating all of the bombs at once.

Then turn press the red button. "Detonate."


	17. Chapter 17

Epilogue:

_**Jack's POV**_

_**Twenty-Five Years Later**_

_**O'Neill Homestead–Earth**_

It's been twenty-five years Atlantis was revealed to the rest of the Pegasus Galaxy. Twenty-five years since the wraith were wiped out. A lot has happened in twenty five years.

First, Grace is now Lieutenant Grace O'Neill of the United Earth Air Force and is stationed on the Luna Colony. Yes, they finally built the damn moon base. Grace also has three siblings. "Jonathan II, or Little Jon as we called him growing up is 24 and is one of the youngest members in the United States House of Representatives and has a seven month old daughter names Samantha. Our twins, George and Suzanne are both 19 and at the Air Force Academy. George is studying Military History and Suzy is studying Astrophysics. I blame the brains of all our children on Samantha.

Moving on, Daniel and Janet had two more children before the accident. Janet was involved in a car accident one night and lost her ovaries due to her injuries. Michael is 23 and is Little Jon's Chief of Staff. He looks almost identical to his father except for the height. Michael is five-foot-four; I call him 'Mini Daniel' when he pisses me off. Then there is the Sarah, who is the baby, she's 18 and is host to Selmac's daughter.

Sarah was a sick girl all her life and when her immune system shutdown when she was eight, Jacob and Selmac did the only thing they could do. Selmac left Jacob and somehow produced an offspring. Due to neither Sarah nor the offspring being fully matured, it was touch and go for a while until they blended completely. According to Selmac, the new symbiote was not a true offspring but rather a part of her created thru cell division. Baby Selmac, as I have called her, has all of Selmac's memories, but none of Jacob's other than his love his family and general information on the Tok'ra.

Because of the unique situation, Sarah and Baby Selmac can never be separated. In fact the symbiote it self has became fused to Sarah's spinal column and is now part of her. Sarah says its fun to argue with the voice in her head and is now wiser than beyond her years. She spends a lot of time with Selmac when he is on Earth and plans to attend the Air Force Academy

Cassandra Jackson married three years ago and is now Cassandra Bartel. She is the CMO of the Luna Base and has two children: William, who is 14, and Stephanie who is 12. Steve, her husband is the Executive Officer of the base and spoils the ids rotten.

Rya'c is married with four children and spends a lot of time on Earth. In fact his kids are all going to Earth School, but spend their summers on Chulak where they learn the ways of the Jaffa from their father, grandfather Teal'c, and their Great Grandfather Bra'tac. Age is beginning to catch up to Bra'tac who is the leader of the Jaffa Nation. He spends many hours retelling stories nowadays and not too much sparring. Though Teal'c still gets his ass handed to him whenever Bra'tac spars with him.

George and Martha Hammond are now in their eighties and are still working. George retired from the Air Force and is now the Director of Planetary Security and serves in the Secretary General's Cabinet. Five years after the Atlantis Expedition destroyed the Wraith, the Stargate Program went public along with the organizing of the new world government. There was not a whole lot of fallout from the public regarding the stargate, I think it was mainly because Thor and Sif showed off the O'Neill II and Samantha O'Neill during the press conference. Also having the Vatican's support helped a lot.

The New United Nations was modeled on the United States system of government with a few changes. The Secretary General, was elected by popular vote of the United Nations General Assembly and then confirmed by United Nations Senate. The Secretary General served a six year term and could be reelected as many times as they wished. His cabinet included positions like Secretary of State, of Planetary Security, and others. The current Secretary General is Henry Hayes, who has been the Secretary General since his term ended as President of the United States.

Unlike previous versions, this United Nation had two separate parts of the legislative branch. The General Assembly was the people's body, consisting of four people from each country, elected directly by the citizenry. The Senate had two representatives appointed by the individual governments themselves.

The World Court became the principle Judicial Body of the world government. All tribunals and other courts fell into place underneath it. The United Nations Military was commanded by the UN Supreme Commander General Paul Davis.

The one thing that made this system work was that each nation could govern itself, but was kept in check by the UN. Many wars had been stopped before they began and many of the governments had adopted some sort of representative government.

What else has happened in the last twenty five years? Oh yes. After defeating the Wraith, the Atlantis Expedition discovered Avalon and Valhalla. After getting new ZPMs in them, they were flown to Atlantis where the cities linked together and downloaded their databases into each other. The cities also copied the advancements the other cities made and upgraded themselves including their stargates so that all three gates can dial all of the gates in both the Pegasus and Milky Way Galaxies; however the gates can only dial another command gate between galaxies; meaning that Valhalla can only dial Avalon or Atlantis, when it is in the Milky Way, not any other Milky Way gate, unless it was in the Milky Way. Valhalla and Avalon also grew in size thanks to the Alterran Construction Drones; still no where near the size of Atlantis, the two cities are sill huge and impressive.

Valhalla now resides permanently in Pegasus where Atlantis once lived. It is a busy center of commerce and life. Ronon and Teyla are in charge of the city and do an admirable job at it and at raising their three children. Many worlds in Pegasus look to Valhalla for guidance, which is what the Alterrans wanted.

Avalon returned to Earth and now rests in the Atlantic Ocean between Ireland and the United States. It is where the United Nations is located. It too is a busy trade spot for not only Earth, but the rest of the galaxy. The Asgard, Jaffa, Tollans, Tok'ra, and many other races have embassies located there.

As for Atlantis, well that is a long story. When the New UN was formed, Sam and I resigned our commissions and permanently took our seats on the Great Council and made Atlantis the official base for the Great Council. Atlantis travels around Ida, Pegasus, and the Milky Way Galaxies as a roving ambassador. It is always an adventure, but Sam and I enjoy it. We both officially retired as Major Generals and technically still are listed as inactive reserves, meaning we still have our full military clearance and rank. We spend our time between Atlantis and the Homestead, but always make sure we are available of the kids need us for anything.

Daniel and Janet are now living on Atlantis full time. Daniel has read twenty percent of the Alterran database now and Janet teaches medicine and still is our physician. The original members of the Atlantis Expedition Command Staff are still there. Elizabeth is the City's Chief Administrator while her husband, Brigadier General John Sheppard is in charge of City Security. Carson Beckett is the Chief Medical Officer and married one of Teyla's people. Alicia is the principal of the secondary school on Atlantis and loves it. Rodney McKay is still annoying as one of the lead scientists and sits on the Intergalactic Science Council. He married Doctor Beckett's relief doctor-Doctor Jennifer Keller. I still have no idea what she saw in him, but with two munchkins around, I learn not to question fate.

Jacob Carter and Selmac are still doing well and splitting time between Earth, Atlantis, and the Tok'ra homeworld. Thanks to the breakthroughs of Alterran and Asgard Medicine, Jacob will probably live to the age of 150, which is fine by me and Sam.

We lost Thor and Sif fifteen years ago due to old age. When Sif gave birth to Little Jack, my name sake and godson, her body began to rapidly age as well as Thor's. After they died, Little Jack stayed with us until Thor and Sif returned from the higher plane known as Ascension. Yes, the Asgard can ascend. Thor and Sif have helped many of the older Asgard ascend and have told me that once the younger generations are ready to stand on their own, that they will ascend once again. Though Thor told me it might take a few more decades so I'm not worried.

As for the Great Council, we have brought peace to three galaxies and are now beginning to make plans to explore some of the other galaxies in the universe. It was rumored that the Alterrans launched a similar expedition eons ago, but I'm not sure. Daniel said something about finding a nine symbol address in the databank and I have a feeling that it ties into this rumored expedition. Only time will tell.

"Jack, time for dinner" Sam says from inside the house.

I enter and see Sam wearing a corset and garter belt. She may be in her fifties, and I may be in my sixties, but she is still just as hot as the day I met her and I love her just as much.

"Where's dinner?" I ask.

"I thought you might like desert first." Sam says as she saunters to our bedroom.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree with that idea.


End file.
